Preparation and Evaluation of Hardness and Wear Properties of WC-Co Particulates Reinforced 7075Al Composites

Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) have found uses in aircraft, rocket engineering, vehicle engineering, energy sector, infrastructure areas, marine and military applications, sports and recreation utilization because of its enormous mechanical strengths and sensible wear resistance features. The experimental results of 7075Al-WC-Co composites’ mechanical and tribological properties are provided in this article. The matrix is Al7075 and the reinforcement is planetary ball milled WC-Co in cermet form with particulates size range from 30-40 μm. Liquid metallurgy route was followed to develop 7075Al composites reinforced with 6, 9 and 12 wt.% of WC-Co. The tests were carried out on 7075Al and composites in accordance with ASTM specifications. According to the experimental results, the hardness of 7075Al-WC-Co composites is discovered to be raised by increasing the percentage volume of cermet phase. Wear attributes of the WC-Co containing composite were superior in terms of wear resistance. The manufactured composites were characterized using SEM and EDAX. Worn surface of the composite samples are studied before and after wear test.