Wear behavior of yttria‐stabilized zirconia reinforced scrap‐derived aluminium matrix composites via ultrasonic‐assisted stir squeeze casting

Recycling of aluminium scraps for developing sustainable composites represents a promising approach for producing low‐cost, high‐performance advanced composite systems. This study investigates the waste aluminium from recycled scrap, reinforced with 2, 4, and 6 weight fractions yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ), fabricated using ultrasonic‐assisted squeeze casting. Microstructure analysis showed a good dispersion of yttria‐stabilized zirconia particles up to 4 percent aiding in grain refinement and improved bonding of matrix and reinforcement. Vickers microhardness showed the peak value of 62.6 HV 0.5 ± 1.23 HV 0.5 for 4 percent reinforced composite, which is an improvement of 16.8 % over the base alloy. The tribological study revealed the least wear loss of 0.004 g ± 0.0003 g, wear rate of 0.000004 g/m, and a very low coefficient of friction value of 0.38 ± 0.02 for 4 percent composites, attributed to hardness and grain boundary strengthening effect. Thus, the study revealed an opportunity for the development of sustainable aluminium composites from scrap sources with a balance of hardness, wear resistance, and environmental footprint.