This scientific research systematically investigates the mechanical and tribological behavior of AA332 aluminium alloy composites reinforced with 0-7.5 wt% zirconium diboride (ZrB2) particles, synthesized via stir casting. Qualitative microstructural analysis revealed a uniform dispersion of ZrB2 particles and strong interfacial bonding, which quantitatively resulted in a significant grain refinement of 46.6%. Mechanical characterization demonstrated substantial quantitative improvements: Brinell hardness increased by 33.0% (from 92.0 to 122.4 BHN), ultimate tensile strength by 32.9% (from 155 to 206 MPa), and yield strength by 67.4% (from 92 to 154 MPa). A characteristic strength-toughness trade-off was observed, characterized by an impact energy reduction from 3.8 to 2.0 J and a qualitative transition from ductile to mixed-mode fracture mechanisms. Tribological performance was evaluated and optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), identifying that a combination of 7.5 wt% ZrB2, 200 rpm sliding speed, and 25 N load yields a minimal specific wear rate of 0.843 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm. This represents an 80.4% reduction in wear rate compared to the maximum wear condition observed in the 2.5 wt% ZrB2 composite. Predictive modeling using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) validated the RSM findings, achieving superior predictive accuracy (Testing R² = 0.9947), with feature importance analysis quantitatively establishing ZrB2 content as the dominant predictor (68.3%) of wear behavior. This integrated experimental and data-driven approach highlights the potential of ZrB2-reinforced AA332 composites for structural applications requiring elevated strength and wear resistance.
Pugalenthi et al. (Tue,) studied this question.