International Journal of Mechanical and Production

Engineering Research and Development (IJMPERD)

ISSN(P): 2249-6890; ISSN(E): 2249-8001
Vol. 9, Issue 2, Apr 2019, 253-264
© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

EFFECT OF T6 HEAT TREATMENT ON HARDNESS WEAR AND

FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF NICKEL COATED CARBON

FIBER REINFORCED AL-7079 MMC

ANANTHA KRISHNA SOMAYAJI1 & NARASIMHA MARAKALA2

1
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte, India
2
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte, India
ABSTRACT

Aluminum metal matrix composites are preferred over other conventional materials in the field of aerospace,
marine and automotive applications due to their improved tribological and mechanical properties and increased strength
to weight ratio. As reinforcement carbon fiber is a very promising material and carbon fibers increase the wear resistance
and also reduce the friction coefficient of AMCs. Al 7079 consists of zinc as the major alloying element which has good
fatigue strength and is strong, but has average machinability. But T6 heat treatment improves its machinability and also
increases its hardness. This paper presents electroless nickel coating to coat the carbon fibers with nickel. These coated

Original Article
fibers are then mixed with aluminium 7079 alloy by stir casting technique. The casted AMC was subjected to T6 heat
treatment and hardness, wear and fatigue property of the composite was evaluated.

KEYWORDS: Aluminium Matrix Composites, Electroless Coating, Stir Casting & PAN Carbon Fiber

Received: Jan 18, 2018; Accepted: Feb 08, 2019; Published: Feb 21, 2019; Paper Id.: IJMPERDAPR201924

1. INTRODUCTION

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are gaining vital importance in several areas due to its improved
tribological and mechanical properties when compared with primary alloys, especially in several applications
where stiffness to weight and strength to weight ratios are of great importance as in automobile, aerospace and
defence applications [1-3]. Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) is most commonly used in various engineering
fields such as aerospace, marine and automobileparts such as brake drum, engine piston and cylinder liner etc.
The most commonly used reinforcement materials for aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) are silicon carbide,
alumina, copper and various fibers [4].

Carbon fibers (CF) are used as one of the reinforcements for aluminium alloys, because they increase their
stiffness and strength. Carbon fibershavebeen widely used as reinforcements in composites such as carbon fiber
reinforced metals, plastics and ceramics due to their high specific strength, high electric and thermal conductivity,
good self-lubrication and low expansion coefficient [5-6]. Also, carbon fibers increase the wear resistance and also
reduce the friction coefficient of AMCs.

During the fabrication of carbon fiber reinforced aluminium matrix composites, poor wettability is one of
the significant problems [7-8]. As reinforcements, the interfacial reaction between carbon fibers and matrix
material makes it difficult to obtain carbon fiber reinforced materials with good interface bonding. Carbon fiber
reacts with the molten aluminium and forms Al4C3 [9-10]. This reaction damages the fibers severely and alters the

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254 Anantha Krishna Somayaji & Narasimha Marakala

mechanical properties of the fiber and composites,

composites respectively. Hence, by coating the fiber,, it should be possible to avoid
harmful reaction at the interface of the matrix and fiber,and also it must improve its wettability in the composite. Also,
Magnesium (Mg) is a very good surfactant. Addition of Mg to the aluminium melt
melt improves its wettability because of the
lower surface tension of magnesium [11]. An optimum amount of Mg is required during the preparation of the composites.

The melting point of nickel is about 1455°C. By nickel plating, carbon fibers can be protected from oxidizing.
Also, it can improve the wettability of carbon fibers.. Electroless plating is one of the techniques used to apply
nickel-coating on carbon fiber [12-13].
13]. Also, it is essential to control the thickness of the nickel coating deposited over the
carbon fiber.. If the nickel deposited over the carbon fiber exceeds, specific limit nickel properties will dominate over
carbon fiber. So, it is essential to maintain the thickness of the coating.

The fabrication of AMCs includes solid and liquid state processing methods. There are various methods to
produce metal matrix composites using liquid state processing technique [14-16].
[14 16]. These methods include stir casting,
pressure infiltration, and pressureless infiltration and squeeze casting. Al 7079 is a matrix
matrix metal, with zinc as the primary
alloying element. Compared to many sheets of steel, it has good fatigue strength and is strong, but has average
machinability. However, T6 heat treatment improves its machinability and also its hardness [17-19].
[17

This work reports the implementation of the electroless deposition technique to coat nickel on carbon fibers.
The microstructure of the coatings was examinedto confirm the uniformity of the coating and also to measure the thickness
of the coating over the carbon fiber.. Furthermore, the aluminium metal matrix reinforced with nickel coated carbon fibers
was fabricated by stir casting technique, and the microstructure of the resulting composite was analysed.
analysed Finally, the cast
composite was heat treated for different
ferent conditions and the hardness, wear, and fatigue property of the composite was
evaluated.

2. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
2.1. Material Details

In the present investigation, Al 7079 is used as the matrix material. Zinc is the major alloying element in Al 7079.
Addition of a small percentage of magnesium results in a better heat treatable alloy
lloy of high
h strength. The chemical
composition of Al 7079 alloy is as shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Chemical Composition of Al7079

2.2. Reinforcement

The PAN (polyacrylonitrile)

rile) based continuous carbon fibersused as reinforcement. The long carbon fibersare
separated from the spool and cut to a length of about 25cm and placed on manual printing press cutting machine. A feed of
about 1mm and less has given for the cutting of the carbon fibers. Figure 1 shows continuous
uous long carbon fibers.

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Effect of T6 Heat Treatment on Hardness Wear and Fatigue Behaviour 255
of Nickel Coated Carbon Fiber Reinforced Al-7079 MMC

Figure 1: PAN-Based Carbon Fibers

2.3. Coating of Carbon Fibers

About ½ kg of PAN-based short carbon fibers of about 1 to 1.5 mm length is taken. These fibers are coated by
electroless technique. Electroless nickel coating procedure involves 3 main stages which are sensitization stage, activation
stage and metallization stage [20]. Beforecoating, the short carbon fibers are initially cleaned with acetone solution for
about 10 min to ensure that the fibers are free from any impurities. Then, it is rinsed with distilled water. Carbon fibers
were placed on the oven and preheated to 200°C, so that the acetone solution evaporated and dried. During sensitization,
the carbon fibers are dipped in a solution of 12 g/l of stannous chloride, under continuous stirring. The time for this process
has been checked. Then, it is rinsed with distilled water. Carbon fibers were dried using filter paper and dipped in the 40
g/l of HCl. The fibers are again washed in distilled water and dried. Now, the fibers are dipped in an aqueous solution of 5
g/l of palladium chloride with continuous agitation. This process is called activation. The process leads to the formation of
the palladium regions on the surface of the carbon fiber. The fibers are then dipped in 2.5 ml of HCl and rinsed with
distilled water. During metallization, the fiberdipped in a solution containing 10 g/l of nickel sulphate which is a metallic
ion source. The pH is maintained within 11 to 13 by adding NaOH pellets onto the solution. Then the fibers are cleaned
with distilled water. The fibersthen dried at a temperature of about 70°C. Finally, the fibers are examined to determine the
uniformity and thickness of the coating.

2.4. Specimen Preparation by Stir Casting Technique

One of the major problems in the preparation of the composite is to achieve proper dispersion of the
reinforcement in the matrix to obtain a defect-free composite. Composite was prepared by mixing nickel coated carbon
fiber with Al 7079 alloy by stir casting technique. Five samples were prepared by varying the percentage of reinforcement
in the proportion of 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt %. About 1.5 kg of Al 7079 alloy was pre-heated in a furnace for about 1 hour
before melting it. Then, the Al 7079 alloy is melted in the furnace at about 720°C. The nickel coated carbon fiber was
preheated for about 200°C in a furnace to remove the moisture content if any. Magnesium powder is added to the melt to
reduce the surface tension of Al 7079 and to enhance the uniform mixing of the fiber in the melt. The stirring speed is
maintained at about 500 RPM to create a vortex in the melt. The coated carbon fibersare then added to the melt, and the
stirrer maintained at the same speed which will help the fiber spread wide over inside the crucible. Stirring continued until
the reinforcement mixes well with the matrix. After proper mixing achieved,the melt is poured into the mould and allowed
to solidify.

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256 Anantha Krishna Somayaji & Narasimha Marakala

2.5. Heat Treatment of the Cast Specimen

Heat treatment improves the machinability and also the mechanical properties of Al 7079 MMCs. The casted
composites are machined to required dimensions as per ASTM standards for various tests to be conducted. The machined
sample is then subjected to a T6 heat treatment process. T6 heat treatment mainly involves three stages solutionising,
quenching and artificial ageing. The specimens are initially heated to a temperature of 500 ± 10°C in a furnace for about 3
hours until the Al 7079 alloy solute elements completely dissolves in the Al robust solution. This process is known as
solutionising. Then, the samples are removed from the furnace and water quenched immediately to prevent the
precipitation of the solute elements. Finally, the quenched samples are reheated to 200°C for 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5
hours respectively, and hardness of the composite has evaluated. This process is known as artificial ageing.

2.6. Hardness Test

The hardness tests were carried out according to ASTM standards using Vickers hardness testing machine.
The measurement of hardness value was taken at three different points on each of the test samples to obtain an average
value of hardness. The test was conducted at room temperature (27°C).

2.7. Wear Test

Wear test was conducted to know the wear property of the material. The wear rates under the different conditions
were calculated by conducting the test using the pin-on-disk machine. The disc rotates by the help of a D.C. motor in
between 0-2000 RPM speed range with wear track diameter 50 mm-180 mm, which is capable of obtaining the sliding
speed of 0 to 10 m/sec.

2.8. Fatigue Test

Fatigue is a condition, where a material fails due to the result of repeated loading (cyclic stresses) applied beneath
the critical strength of the sample material. The fatigue characterization is carried out in a rotating beam fatigue testing
machine. The specimen is subjected to four-point bending; the load is acting at four points equally in a fatigue testing
machine. The specimen is rotated with the constant speed of 1500 RPM. Fatigue characterization is carried for various
conditions such as 90, 80, 70, 60 50 40 and 30% of the ultimate strength of aluminium alloy matrix composite with
different percentage of carbon fiber.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1. Characterizationof Nickel-Coated Fiber

Figure 2: Photographs of (a) Un-Coated Carbon Fibers (b) Coated Carbon Fibers

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Effect of T6 Heat Treatment on Hardness Wear and Fatigue Behaviour 257
of Nickel Coated Carbon Fiber Reinforced Al-7079 MMC

Figure 2 shows the photographs of chopped uncoated and chopped nickel coated carbon fibers. Figure 3(a) shows
the SEM image of uncoated carbon fibers surface. They have a circular section and a smooth surface. Figure 3(b) shows
the coating obtained after 1 minute of metallization for which, a uniform coating obtained. Figure 3(c) and (d) shows the
coating obtained after 2 minutes and 3 minutes of metallization, respectively. For longer times, undesired dendritic growth
will take place.

Figure 3: SEM Images of Carbon Fibers

Figure 4 shows a light microscopic image of the transverse section of the carbon fiber for 1 min of metallization
time. Figure 5(a) shows the uniform coating thickness of 1.105µm over the carbon fiber for sensitization, activation and
metallization time of 5, 5 and 1 minutes, respectively. Figure 5(b) shows the SEM image of uncoated carbon fibers which
has the mean diameter of 6.22µm.

Figure 4: Microscopic Image of a Transverse Section of the Carbon Fiber

Figure 5: SEM Images Showing the Thickness of

(a) Coated Carbon Fibers (b) Uncoated Carbon Fibers

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258 Anantha Krishna Somayaji & Narasimha Marakala

3.2. Characterizationof the Composite Material Prepared

Fabrication of the composite done for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weight percentages of carbon fiber, the microstructure of the
specimens was then studied. Figure 6 shows the samples casted using stir casting process. Figure 7(a). Figure 7(b),
Figure 7(c), Figure 7(d) and Figure 7(e) shows the microstructure of the casted specimen for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8wt% of carbon
fiber.

Figure 6: Casted Composite

Figure 7: SEM Microstructure of the Casted Specimen for Different Wt% of Carbon Fiber

The microstructure of the casted specimens shows that the carbon fibersare uniformly distributed in the matrix.
The random and uniform distribution of the carbon fiber shows the excellent wet tability of Al matrix with carbon fiber.
Further,the casted specimens cut into 3 pieces along the length of the specimen, and the fiber distribution in the cast
specimen was studied. It has been found that the microstructure at the top, bottom and middle of casting has displayed
better uniformity of fiber distribution in the matrix material.

3.3. Hardness Evaluation for Heat Treated AMCs

The cast specimens are machined according to ASTM standards to determine the hardness of the heat-treated
samples. The samples are then heat treated for different ageing time for the different percentage of reinforcement contents.

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Effect of T6 Heat Treatment on Hardness Wear and Fatigue Behaviour 259
of Nickel Coated Carbon Fiber Reinforced Al-7079 MMC

The hardness of the composite is very highly influenced by the ageing time. It increases with increasing time at the
beginning of ageing, till it reaches a maximum value and then slightly decreases. The hardness increases due to the
progressive formation of coherent precipitates; there is an increase of hardness, whereas due to the formation of non-
coherent precipitates decreases its hardness with time. Table 2 shows mean hardness value (VHN) for different ageing time
for different % of CF reinforcement. Figure 8 shows the mean hardness value (VHN) for different % of carbonfiber
reinforcement.

Table 2: Mean Hardness Value (VHN) for Different % of CF Reinforcement

Time for Mean Hardness Value (VHN) for
Aging Different % of CF Reinforcement
(hours) 0% 2% 4% 6% 8%
2 127 131 134 136 139
2.5 130 134 137 139 143
3 132 138 140 142 146
3.5 135 140 142 145 149
4 139 142 145 147 152
4.5 138 141 147 149 151
5 138 141 146 148 150
5.5 137 140 145 148 150

Figure 8: Mean Hardness Value (VHN) for Different % of CF Reinforcement

3.4. Wear Test for Different Sliding Distances

The effect of variation of sliding distance on the wear rate of nickel coated carbon fiber reinforced Al 7079 alloy
was studied. In this case, the specimen rubbed against the disc at the constant speed of 1.5m/s and at constant load at 10 N.
The diameter at which the specimen set is 57.3mm. The sliding distance is increased with fixed intervals, 1km, 2km, 3km
and 4km the weight loss due to wear of Al 7079 composite increased too, and it is observed from the Figure 9 that wear
rate increased with the sliding distance. It is also observedinFigure 5.9 that, when the percentage of carbon fiber increased,
the wear rate was decreased considerably.

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260 Anantha Krishna Somayaji & Narasimha Marakala

Figure 9: Wear Rate V/S Sliding Distance for Different Percentage of Carbon Fiber Reinforcement

3.5. Wear Test for Different Applied Loads on the Specimen

In this case, the specimen rubbed against the disc at the constant speed of 1.5m/s, and the distance covered by the
specimen is 1km. The diameter at which the specimen is set is 57.3mm. The actual wear time is calculated as 11 min 11
sec per specimen. Figure 10 shows that with the increase of load and decrease in the percentage of carbon fiber, the
average weight loss due to wear of Al 7079 composite increased under the same rotating speed.

Figure 10: Wear Rate V/S Applied Load for Varying

Percentage of Carbon Fiber in Al 7079 Composite

3.6. Fatigue Characterization

The experiment was conducted using 4 point rotating bending fatigue testing machine for different weight
fractions of carbon fiber in the Al matrix composite. For low fatigue applications considering 2 machine cycles per day, the
component is required to run for minimum 20 years in order to withstand total 150000 cycles. From the Figure 11, it is
clear that Al alloy matrix composite with 8 wt% CF shows better fatigue strength compared to base alloy. The endurance
strength has been increased by around 81 percent compared to base alloy.

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Effect of T6 Heat Treatment on Hardness Wear and Fatigue Behaviour 261
of Nickel Coated Carbon Fiber Reinforced Al-7079 MMC

Figure 11: S-N Curve for Casted Al7079, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt% CF Reinforced MMCs

4. CONCLUSIONS

The following conclusions are drawn from the study.

• SEM results confirmed that the carbon fiberswere coated with nickel by an electroless deposition technique.
The nickel coated carbon fiber had a uniform thickness of 1.105µm throughout the length of the carbon fiber.

• The Nickel coating on carbon fibers improved the distribution of the fibers in the matrix. The microstructure of
the casted specimens showed that the carbon fiberswere uniformly distributed in AMCs.

• The heat-treated composites exhibited better hardness,with the increase in artificial ageingtime, the hardness of
the composite increased to a particular time, and a further increase in the ageing time reduced its hardness.

• Highest hardness was obtained for the heat treatment duration of 3 hours of solutionizing at 500°C and 4 hours of
ageing at 200°C for 8% reinforcement of the composite.

• Wear rate was found to be decreasing with an increase in wt% of carbon fiber content, for the different conditions
like a change in the sliding distance and change in applied load and 8 wt% of the carbon fiber, reinforcement wear
rate was found to be minimum.

• The fatigue strength of the composite was found to increase with an increase in reinforcement content, and for 8
wt% of the carbon fiber as reinforcement, the fatigue strength was found to be maximum

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