Tribological and machining behaviour analysis on synthesised chromel composite

Abstract

In recent years, machining of hard material is difficult and its applications are also increased due to their excellent substance properties. At the same time, better quality machined surface was not achieved through conventional machining techniques. The superior quality of machined surface was attained through Electro Chemical Honing (ECH) process. The machining rate has been increased through the combined action of electrical and chemical energy. The Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) inserts have been used in electrode to enhance the machining rate. The chromel metal matrix composite (MMC) has chosen as a work material for ECH process. It was fabricated through stir casting process reinforced with Tantalum Carbides (TaC). It was used to further increase the substance properties. The morphology characteristics and chemical compositions have been studied through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Analysis of X- Ray (EDAX) respectively. The substance properties such as hardness, density, impact and tensile strength were measured. The chromel composite was machined through ECH with different input factors. The optimization was performed through Taguchi approach and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). The contribution factor which affects the responses was evaluated through variance analysis. newlineThis paper makes an investigation upon the synthesis of tantalum carbide (TaCx) based chromel composites and their tribological behavior using pin on disc under various load conditions. The reinforced chromel alloy with TaCx was prepared at the rate of 0, 3 and 6 wt.% of TaC using stir casting route. The presence of alloying elements was confirmed through Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX). The wear resistance of composites was found to improve with the increase in weight percentage of TaC. newline