MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS OF THE PISTON ALLOY-BASED COMPOSITE PRODUCED BY FSP USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

Abstract

In this paper, A356/B₄C composites were fabricated using the friction stir processing (FSP) method. The process’s input parameters, including rotational and transverse speed, were optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM). Three factors and three levels with nine experimental runs made up the design of the experiments. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to determine whether the constructed model was adequate at a 95% confidence level. This study found that transverse speed was the most critical variable affecting the composites’ silicon (Si) particle size, UTS, and force. The findings demonstrate that the Si particle size of the parent material and the dispersion quality of B₄C particles in the aluminum matrix are considerably influenced by the FSP factors, such as rotating speed and transverse speed. Second, tests for tensile strength were conducted to examine the composites’ mechanical properties. Then, using a specially designed fixture to measure force during the process, the forces on the tool, which play a decisive role in determining the tool’s life, were measured in different input parameters. The findings demonstrate that FSP transforms the mechanism of the fracture from brittle to extremely ductile in composites from the as-received metal.