Abstract:

In this study, we have focused on the use of waste coal slag, which is formed under the boiler as a result of the combustion of coal used as fuel in thermal power plants, as reinforcement in Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) and its compatibility with SiC and Al2O3. Al6061 alloy, which is frequently used in the automobile and aerospace industry, was chosen as the matrix. Composites were fabricated using reinforcements with 22-59µm powder size at reinforcement-to-volume ratios of 1, 3, 5 wt%, binary hybrid composites at 4, 6, 8 wt%, and ternary hybrid (tri-hybrid) composites at 7, 9, 11 wt%. Two-stage stir casting method, which is one of the liquid-state production methods, was used in the production of composites. The microstructures of the composites were monitored by scanning electron microscopy to determine the presence of reinforcements and the homogeneous distribution of the reinforcement in the microstructure. The hardness of the composites was determined by the Brinell hardness measurement method. Pin on Disk method, one of the standard tests used to measure the wear behavior of the composites produced within the scope of this study and to perform dry friction wear tests, was used. The wear characteristics of the material pairs were generated from the obtained test results. Coal slag powder-reinforced composites were successfully produced. Hardness tests revealed that coal slag powder can increase the composite's hardness s almost as effectively as SiC and Al2O3. Similar to the other reinforcements, the addition of the coal slag powder improved the abrasion resistance of the composites.

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