Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal 18 (2015) 416e422

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Engineering Science and Technology,

an International Journal
journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jestch

Full length article

Microstructural characteristics, mechanical and wear behaviour

of aluminium matrix hybrid composites reinforced with alumina, rice
husk ash and graphite
Kenneth Kanayo Alaneme a, b, *, Kazeem Oladiti Sanusi a
a
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure P.M.B 704, Nigeria
b
Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Namibia, Faculty of Engineering Campus, P. O.Box 3624, Ongwediva, Namibia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The microstructural characteristics, mechanical and wear behaviour of Aluminium matrix hybrid com-
Received 4 December 2014 posites reinforced with alumina, rice husk ash (RHA) and graphite were investigated. Alumina, RHA and
Received in revised form graphite mixed in varied weight ratios were utilized to prepare 10 wt% hybrid reinforced Al-Mg-Si alloy
3 February 2015
based composites using two-step stir casting. Hardness, tensile properties, scanning electron microscopy,
Accepted 25 February 2015
Available online 31 March 2015
and wear tests were used to characterize the composites produced. The results show that Hardness
decreases with increase in the weight ratio of RHA and graphite in the composites; and with RHA content
greater than 50%, the effect of graphite on the hardness becomes less significant. The tensile strength for
Keywords:
Stir casting
the composites containing o.5wt% graphite and up to 50% RHA was observed to be higher than that of the
Al matrix hybrid composites composites without graphite. The toughness values for the composites containing 0.5wt% graphite were
Self lubricating solids in all cases higher than that of the composites without graphite. The % Elongation for all composites
Rice husk ash produced was within the range of 10e13% and the values were invariant to the RHA and graphite content.
Mechanical properties The tensile fracture surface morphology in all the composites produced was identical characterized with
Wear the presence of reinforcing particles housed in ductile dimples. The composites without graphite
exhibited greater wear susceptibility in comparison to the composite grades containing graphite. How-
ever the wear resistance decreased with increase in the graphite content from 0.5 to 1.5 wt%.
© 2015 Karabuk University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under
the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction derivatives used as reinforcements in comparison with conven-

The development of Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs)
reinforced with agro and industrial waste derivatives have gathered
a lot of interest in recent years [1,2]. These grades of composites
offer the benefits of significant processing cost reduction, satis-
factory physical properties (such as low density and thermal coef-
ficient of thermal expansion); and useful in thermal management,
semi-structural and mild stress-bearing applications [3]. In service
applications where high strength and wear resistance are of prime
importance, these grades of AMCs have been found to have fairly
limited use. This is primarily due to the relatively lower strength
and wear characteristics of the agro and industrial waste
* Corresponding author. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering,
Federal University of Technology, Akure P.M.B 704, Nigeria.
E-mail address: kalanemek@yahoo.co.uk (K.K. Alaneme).
Peer review under responsibility of Karabuk University.
tional reinforcement materials like silicon carbide and alumina [4].
In order to harness the low cost and physical property benefits
offered by these waste derived reinforcing materials, there are
current efforts to complement them with conventional synthetic
reinforcing materials such as silicon carbide and alumina. The use
of these so called hybrid reinforced composites has been well
received and continues to attract interest from researchers [5,6].
Improvements in toughness, ductility, corrosion resistance and
competing specific strength levels at par with that of single con-
ventional reinforced AMCs have been reported [6]. Literatures are
currently available for hybrid composites systems reinforced with
combinations of silicon carbide/rice husk ash, alumina/rice husk
ash, silicon carbide/bamboo leave ash, silicon carbide/groundnut
shell ash, alumina/ groundnut shell ash, silicon carbide/ fly ash,
alumina/fly ash, alumina/ red mud, silicon carbide/ graphite,
alumina/graphite, silicon carbide/corn cub among others [2e4,7].
The performance levels derived from these hybrid composite

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jestch.2015.02.003
2215-0986/© 2015 Karabuk University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
 K.K. Alaneme, K.O. Sanusi / Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal 18 (2015) 416e422 417

systems have been reported to be dependent on the type of re- Table 2

inforcements combined, the weight ratio of both reinforcing ma- Chemical composition of the rice husk ash.

terials in the composite, wettability between the reinforcements Compound/element (constituent) wt%
and the matrix, processing route selected, and the metallurgical Silica (SiO2) 91.56
characteristics of the matrix material [8]. In the case of alumina and Carbon 4.8
rice husk ash hybrid reinforced AMC promising levels of ductility Calcium oxide, CaO 1.58
and fracture toughness comparable to that of single alumina rein- Magnesium oxide, MgO 0.53
Potassium oxide, K2O 0.39
forced composites were observed [9]. However, findings on po-
Hematite, Fe2O3 0.21
tential improvements in strength characteristics and wear Others 0.93
performance are still inconclusive and worthwhile subject for
further investigations. In the present study, the use of graphite as a
reinforcing addition to alumina and rice husk ash for development
separately at a temperature of 250
C to eliminate dampness and
of AMCs was investigated. Graphite is a well recognized solid
improve wettability with the molten Al-Mg-Si alloy [13]. The Al-
lubricant which also has the advantage of low density [10]. In
Mg-Si alloy were charged in gas-fired crucible furnace (fitted
graphite reinforced AMCs, graphite serves as a solid lubricating
with a temperature probe), and heated to a temperature of
layer between the composite and rubbing surface helping in
720
C ± 30
C (above the liquidus temperature of the alloy) to
reduction of composite wear without the need for traditional solid
ensure the alloy melts completely. The liquid alloy was cooled in
and liquid lubrication [11]. Graphite has also been used as hybrid
the furnace to a semi solid state at a temperature of about 600
C.
reinforcement with alumina and silicon carbide in AMCs with
The preheated rice husk ash, graphite and alumina particles were
property improvements in strength and wear properties recorded
charged into the semi-solid melt at this temperature (600
C) and
[12] but its use as part of a trident hybrid reinforcing system for
stirred manually for 10 min. The semi-solid composite mixture
AMCs has not been reported in literature. The effects of varied
was super heated to 780
C ± 30
C and stirred using an auto-
weight ratios of the three reinforcing materials namely, alumina,
mated mechanical stirrer. The mechanical stirring was performed
rice husk ash, and graphite on the microstructure, mechanical and
at 400 rpm for 10 min before casting into sand moulds inserted
wear behaviour of Al-Mg-Si alloy matrix was the subject of this
with metallic chills. Representative sizes of as-cast composites
investigation.
produced from the two step stir casting process are presented in
Fig. 1.
2. Materials and method

2.3. Mechanical properties

2.1. Materials

The hardness values of the composites were evaluated on a

Al-Mg-Si alloy (AA 6063) with chemical composition presented
hardness testing machine using the Vickers hardness scale. The
in Table 1 was selected as matrix for the composite production.
sample preparation and testing procedure was performed in
Alumina of average particle size of 30 mm, rice husk ash and
accordance with ASTM E-92 standard [14]. Seven hardness indents
graphite with particle sizes (<50 mm) were selected as reinforcing
were made on each specimen and readings within the margin of
materials. The rice husk was sourced locally from a rice processing
±2% were taken for the computation of the average hardness values
plant located at Igbemu Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The rice husk ash
of the specimens.
was obtained by burning the rice husks completely in an inciner-
The tensile properties of the composites produced were evalu-
ator, heat-treating in a furnace, and then sieving following pro-
ated by tensile testing using an Instron universal testing machine.
cedures explained in details by Alaneme et al. [4]. The chemical
Specimens for the test were machined from the as-cast composite
composition of the rice husk is presented in Table 2.
cylindrical rods of 15 mm diameter and 15 cm length to tensile test
specifications of 5 mm diameter and 30 mm gauge length. The
2.2. Composites production

Liquid metallurgy route using two step stir casting process Table 3
was adopted for the production of the composites. The process Sample designation and reinforcement weight ratio.

commenced with the determination of the quantities of rice husk Sample designation Composition of reinforcing materials
ash (RHA), alumina and graphite required to produce 10wt% A0 (100%Al2O3 þ 0%RHAþ 0% graphite)
particle reinforced composites having weight ratios of the rein- A1 (99.5%Al2O3 þ 0%RHAþ 0.5% graphite)
forcing materials as presented in Table 3. The rice husk ash, A2 (99%Al2O3 þ 0%RHAþ 1.0% graphite)
graphite and alumina particles were initially preheated A3 (98.5%Al2O3 þ 0%RHAþ 1.5% graphite)
B0 (75%Al2O3 þ 25%RHA þ 0% graphite)
B1 (74.5%Al2O3 þ 25%RHA þ 0.5% graphite)
B2 (74%Al2O3 þ 25%RHA þ 1.0% graphite)
Table 1 B3 (73.5%Al2O3 þ 25%RHA þ 1.5% graphite)
Elemental composition of Al-Mg-Si alloy. C0 (50%Al2O3 þ 50%RHA þ 0% graphite)
C1 (49.5%Al2O3 þ 50%RHA þ 0.5% graphite)
Element wt%
C2 (49%Al2O3 þ 50%RHA þ 1.0% graphite)
Magnesium (Mg) 0.48 C3 (48.5%Al2O3 þ 50%RHA þ 1.5% graphite)
Silicon (Si) 0.52 D0 (25%Al2O3 þ 75%RHA þ 0% graphite)
Manganese (Mn) 0.073 D1 (24.5%Al2O3 þ 75%RHA þ 0.5% graphite)
Copper (Cu) 0.068 D2 (24%Al2O3 þ 75%RHA þ 1.0% graphite)
Zinc (Zn) 0.11 D3 (23.5%Al2O3 þ 75%RHA þ 1.5% graphite)
Titanium (Ti) 0.015 E0 (0%Al2O3 þ 100%RHA þ 0% graphite)
Iron (Fe) 0.058 E1 (0%Al2O3 þ 99.5%RHA þ 0.5% graphite)
Sodium (Na) 0.003 E2 (0%Al2O3 þ 99%RHA þ 1.0% graphite)
Aluminium (Al) balance E3 (0%Al2O3 þ 98.5%RHA þ 1.5% graphite)
418 K.K. Alaneme, K.O. Sanusi / Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal 18 (2015) 416e422

2.5. Wear test

The wear characteristics of the composites were studied using a

Taber abrasion wear testing machine. The wear test was conducted
using samples prepared in form of discs 200 mm diameter and
5 mm thick. The samples were placed on the turntable platform of
the wear machine and gripped at a constant pressure by two
abrasive wheels lowered onto the sample surface. In operation, the
turntable rotates with the samples which drive the abrasive wheels
in contact with its surface. The rubbing action between the sample

Fig. 1. Showing as-cast aluminium based composites produced for (a) machining of
tensile test specimens, and (b) wear test samples.

specimens were mounted on the testing platform and pulled

monotonically at a strain rate of 103/s until fracture. The tests were
performed at room temperature following recommendations of
ASTM 8M-91 standard [15]. For each composite composition, three
repeat tensile tests were performed to guarantee the reliability of
the data generated. The tensile properties evaluated from the test
are the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, % elongation, and
toughness (determined by calculating the area under the stresse-
strain curves generated).

2.4. Microstructural characterization

The microstructures, fracture surface morphologies, and

elemental compositions of the composites were examined using a
JSM Jeol ultra-high resolution field emission gun scanning electron
microscope (FEG-SEM) equipped with an EDS. The surfaces of the
specimens for microstructural examination were metallographi-
cally prepared following a series of grinding and polishing steps to
achieve a mirror like surface finish. The samples were subsequently Fig. 2. a) Representative SEM photomicrograph of the C1 hybrid composite showing
particles dispersed in the AlMgSi matrix; (b) Higher magnification of the C1 hybrid
etched using Keller's reagent (95 ml water, 2.5 ml HNO3, 1.5 ml HCl, composite showing more conspicuously the reinforcing particles in the Al-Mg-Si
1.0 ml HF) by swabbing 10e20 s before microstructural examina- matrix; (c)EDS profile obtained from the C1 hybrid composite confirming the pres-
tion was performed. ence of Al, Si, Fe, C, and and O.
 Fig. 3. Variation of hardness value of the composites.

Fig. 4. (a) Variation of tensile strength of the composites. (b) Variation of yield strength of the composites.
420 K.K. Alaneme, K.O. Sanusi / Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal 18 (2015) 416e422

Fig. 5. Variation of percent elongation of the composites.

and the abrasive wheel during the rotating motion of the machine,
results in the generation of loose composite debris from the sample
surface. The test was conducted for 15 min; and the sample weights
before and after the tests are recorded. The Taber Wear Index is
evaluated using the relation [16]:
ðinitial weight  final weightÞ  1000
Wear Index ¼
time of test cycle
where initial and final weights are in grammes, and time of test
cycle in minutes.
and (b) that the reinforcing particles (made up of alumina, RHA,
graphite) are visible and fairly well distributed in the Al-Mg-Si alloy
matrix. This is an indication that the two step stir casting process
adopted for the composite production is reliable. The EDS profile of
the elemental mappings of the hybrid composite, show peaks of
aluminium (Al) oxygen (O), silicon (Si), iron (Fe) and carbon (C). The
presence of the elements confirm that Aluminium, alumina, silica
(2.1)
(SiO2) and ferric oxide (Fe2O3) which are both constituents of RHA,
and Graphite (C); were used for the composite production. Similar
microstructural features and elemental compositions have been
reported by Alaneme et al. [9].

3. Results and discussion 3.2. Mechanical behaviour

3.1. Microstructure The mechanical properties of the composites produced are

presented in Figs. 3e6. From Fig. 3 it is observed that there is a
Representative SEM micrographs and EDS analysis of compos- general decrease in hardness with increase in the weight ratio of
ites produced are presented in Fig. 2. It is observed from Fig. 2(a) RHA in the composites. This is reflected by the decrease in hardness

Fig. 6. Variation of toughness of the composites.

 K.K. Alaneme, K.O. Sanusi / Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal 18 (2015) 416e422
Fig. 7. Representative surface morphology of the tensile fracture in the composites
produced steel. (a) Low magnification image, obtained from the B1 composite grade
showing predominant ductile dimple fracture. (b) Higher magnification view showing
presence of the reinforcing particles in the cavities.
from the A to E series in the Figure which have been used as des-
ignations for increasing weight ratio of RHA (Table 3). It is also
observed for each composite series (that is A, B, C, D and E series)
that the hardness of the composites decreases with increase in the
Fig. 8. Variation of wear index of the composites.
421
graphite content of the composites (that is from A0 to A3, B0 to B3,
C0 to C3, D0 to D3, and E0 to E3). The reduction in hardness with
increase in RHA and graphite content is as a result of the lower
hardness possessed by both reinforcing materials compared to
alumina [5]. RHA consists primarily of silica (as observed from
Table 2) which is a softer ceramic compared to alumina [9]. It is also
noted that the variation of hardness with graphite content is more
pronounced for the A e C series composites which do not contain
more than 50% RHA. It apparent that with greater than 50% RHA
content (that is D and E composite series) the effect of graphite on
the hardness becomes less significant.
The tensile strength and yield strength values (Fig. 4) are also
observed to follow to some degree the same trend as the hardness
results (Fig. 3). It is observed that the tensile strength (Fig. 4(a)) and
yield strength (Fig. 4(b)) decreases with increase in the RHA con-
tent (from A - E series). Also there is a slight increase in tensile
strength and yield strength for the A, B, C series composites con-
taining graphite in comparison to the respective grades without
graphite (A0, B0, and C0). However there is a general decrease in
tensile strength and yield strength with increase in graphite con-
tent from 0.5 to 1.5wt%. The presence of a greater amount of
graphite and RHA reduces potential direct strengthening effect
from load transfer from the matrix to the reinforcing particles since
Al matrix and the dominant RHA particles have the same elastic
modulus of 70 GPa while graphite has a lower elastic modulus value
of approximately 27 GPa [17].
For the % Elongation (Fig. 5), it is observed that all grades of the
composites produced have % Elongation within the range of
10e13%. With respect to increase in RHA and graphite content in
the composites, no consistent trend is discernable. However, it is
noted that the C series composites (containing 50% alumina,
48.5e49.5% RHA and 0.5e1.5% graphite) had on the average %
Elongation values higher than that of the other composite series
produced. The results show that the addition of graphite those not
impair the ductility levels of the composites.
In the case of toughness (Fig. 6), it is observed that the com-
posites with higher RHA content (D and E series) had toughness
values significantly lower than that of the other composite grades
produced. The addition of graphite is observed to result in
improvement in the toughness of the composites particularly with
the grades containing 0.5 wt% graphite (A1, C1, D1, and E1) in the
reinforcement. With the exception of the B series composites
422 K.K. Alaneme, K.O. Sanusi / Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal 18 (2015) 416e422
(containing 75% alumina, 23.5e24.5% RHA and 0.5e1.5% graphite)
the toughness of the composites decreases with increase in the
graphite content from 0.5 to 1.5 wt%.
The tensile fracture surface morphology in all the composites
produced are essentially identical, with ductile dimple fracture
features dominant as observed in the representative SEM micro-
graph in Fig. 7. Higher magnification (Fig. 7(b)) shows the presence
of the reinforcing particles in these dimples. This clearly suggests
that micro-crack and micro-void formation in these composites
occurs predominantly due to debonding along the reinforcing
particle/matrix interface [18]. The coalescence of these micro-
cracks/micro-voids facilitates the fracture of the composites.
3.3. Wear behaviour
The wear rates of all the composites produced are presented in
Fig. 8. It is observed that the best wear resistance was obtained with
the use of B series composites (containing 73.5e74.5% alumina, 25%
RHA and 0.5e1.5% graphite). Specifically it is observed that for all
composite series produced, the composites without graphite
exhibited greater wear susceptibility in comparison to the com-
posite grades containing graphite. The presence of graphite is re-
ported to help reduce the wear rate of the composites by providing
a solid lubricating layer between the composite and the rubbing
hard counter surface [11]. However, it is noted that the wear
resistance decreased with increase in the graphite content from 0.5
to 1.5 wt%. It is also observed that the effect of RHA on wear sus-
ceptibility was not as consistent as the case of graphite but gener-
ally for the composites containing RHA there was on the average an
increase in wear susceptibility with increase in RHA content.
4. Conclusions
The microstructural characteristics, mechanical and wear
behaviour of Aluminium matrix hybrid composites reinforced with
alumina, rice husk ash and graphite was investigated in this
research. The results show that:
 Hardness decreases with increase in the weight ratio of RHA and
graphite in the composites; and with RHA content greater than
50%, the effect of graphite on the hardness becomes less
significant.
 The tensile strength for the composites containing o.5wt%
graphite and up to 50% RHA was observed to be higher than that
of the composites without graphite. The toughness values for
the composites containing 0.5wt% graphite were in all cases
higher than that of the composites without graphite.
 The % Elongation for all composites produced was within the
range of 10e13% and the values were invariant to the RHA and
graphite content.
 The tensile fracture surface morphology in all the composites
produced was identical characterized with the presence of
reinforcing particles housed in ductile dimples.
 The composites without graphite exhibited greater wear sus-
ceptibility in comparison to the composite grades containing
graphite. However the wear resistance decreased with increase
in the graphite content from 0.5 to 1.5 wt%.
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