Experimental investigation of microstructural and performance evolution in ultrasonic-assisted stir-cast AA8011–5 wt.% TiB₂ composites during multi-pass equal-channel angular pressing
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, CMR Engineering College, Telangana, India.
- 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Andhra Pradesh, India.
- 3Department of Energy Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia.
- 4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sreyas Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
- 5Department of Mechanical Engineering, MLR Institute of Technology, Telangana, India.
- 6Department of Civil Engineering, Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of Technology and Management, Hyderabad, India.
- 7Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Science & technology, Royal University of Bhutan, Phuentsholing, Bhutan.
Abstract
The development of aluminium matrix composites with improved structural and tribological performance has attracted considerable interest for lightweight engineering applications. This work investigates the microstructural, mechanical, tribological, and hot-deformation response of an AA8011 aluminium composite containing 5 wt.% TiB2, fabricated by ultrasonic-assisted stir casting and subsequently processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). The effect of accumulated severe plastic deformation was evaluated in the as-cast condition and after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 ECAP passes. Phase constitution and elemental characteristics were examined using X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, while microstructural evolution was characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Repeated ECAP progressively refined the aluminium matrix, improved the spatial distribution of TiB2 particles, and reduced pronounced casting-related structural discontinuities. The EBSD-measured grain size decreased from 12.45 μm in the as-cast condition to 0.54 μm after 10 passes. The resulting microstructural refinement and densification were accompanied by increases in hardness, tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength, impact energy, and elongation. The ultimate tensile strength increased from 182 to 266 MPa after 10 passes. Dry-sliding tests performed at loads of 10–50 N and a sliding distance of 5000 m showed reductions in wear rate of approximately 55–58% and in coefficient of friction of approximately 62–75% relative to the as-cast condition. Processing-map analysis further indicated an expansion of the stable deformation region with increasing ECAP passes. The combined results demonstrate that ultrasonic-assisted stir casting followed by multi-pass ECAP provides an effective route for tailoring the microstructure and mechanical, tribological, and hot-deformation response of AA8011−5 wt.% TiB2 composites within the investigated processing conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{maddaiah2026experimental,
title = {{Experimental investigation of microstructural and performance evolution in ultrasonic-assisted stir-cast AA8011–5 wt.% TiB₂ composites during multi-pass equal-channel angular pressing}},
author = {K Chinna Maddaiah and G B Veeresh Kumar and Abhishek Agarwal and Balram Yelamasetti and N Anuradha and K Murali and Damcho Wangchuk},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0361373},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361373},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Experimental investigation of microstructural and performance evolution in ultrasonic-assisted stir-cast AA8011–5 wt.% TiB₂ composites during multi-pass equal-channel angular pressing
AU - K Chinna Maddaiah
AU - G B Veeresh Kumar
AU - Abhishek Agarwal
AU - Balram Yelamasetti
AU - N Anuradha
AU - K Murali
AU - Damcho Wangchuk
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0361373
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361373
AB - The development of aluminium matrix composites with improved structural and tribological performance has attracted considerable interest for lightweight engineering applications. This work investigates the microstructural, mechanical, tribological, and hot-deformation response of an AA8011 aluminium composite containing 5 wt.% TiB2, fabricated by ultrasonic-assisted stir casting and subsequently processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). The effect of accumulated severe plastic deformation was evaluated in the as-cast condition and after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 ECAP passes. Phase constitution and elemental characteristics were examined using X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, while microstructural evolution was characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Repeated ECAP progressively refined the aluminium matrix, improved the spatial distribution of TiB2 particles, and reduced pronounced casting-related structural discontinuities. The EBSD-measured grain size decreased from 12.45 μm in the as-cast condition to 0.54 μm after 10 passes. The resulting microstructural refinement and densification were accompanied by increases in hardness, tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength, impact energy, and elongation. The ultimate tensile strength increased from 182 to 266 MPa after 10 passes. Dry-sliding tests performed at loads of 10–50 N and a sliding distance of 5000 m showed reductions in wear rate of approximately 55–58% and in coefficient of friction of approximately 62–75% relative to the as-cast condition. Processing-map analysis further indicated an expansion of the stable deformation region with increasing ECAP passes. The combined results demonstrate that ultrasonic-assisted stir casting followed by multi-pass ECAP provides an effective route for tailoring the microstructure and mechanical, tribological, and hot-deformation response of AA8011−5 wt.% TiB2 composites within the investigated processing conditions.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -