LAUSR

In the past few years, the functionally graded materials (FGMs) have proved useful in many industrial applications such as aerospace, automotive, transportation and infrastructure because of their advantages like the ability to control mechanical properties, residual stresses, wear, and corrosion behavior through a smooth gradation of the elements in a particular direction of the products. In this current work, the microstructural and wear properties of AZ91 alloy reinforced with silicon carbide particles (SiCp) produced through the centrifugal casting method were investigated. Four weight fractions of SiCp with 10 µm average size were used to fabricate functionally graded (FG) tubes in the two mold rotational speeds of 1200 and 1500 rpm. Microstructural, microhardness, and wear tests were used for characterizing the developed FG tubes. From the results obtained, the gradient distribution of SiC particles inside the AZ91 matrix alloy substantially improved hardness and wear resistance for the FG tubes comparing to unreinforced alloy. Moreover, the mold rotational speed is the main factor in controlling the distribution of particles, thus determining the gradient properties of the manufactured FG tubes. These findings suggest that FG tubes are useful for aerospace and automotive applications that require more excellent surface resistance.