Engineering Headway Vol. 1

Abstract: In the past few decades Aluminium alloys have been extensively used in most of the structural applications, where there is a need to reduce weight and substantially providing structural strength and stability to the assembly. Aluminium alloys or Titanium alloys are the best possible options for the design engineers to select over alloy steel for structural applications when mass reduction is an important factor, However Aluminium alloys wins the race over Titanium alloys when cost is an important criteria for selection of materials. Aluminium alloys are chosen as an alternative next to titanium alloys when it comes to high strength to weight ratio. Titanium alloys particularly Ti6Al4V is selected for applications where the component is loaded with high temperature. Therefore engineers have to evaluate the loading conditions and its environment based on the properties of alloys for selection of Aluminium alloys over other alloys for structural applications. Material selection for the structural applications in various industries such as aerospace, automotive, Industrial and construction sector are based on its function, which depends on the factors like the loading conditions, environment, and functional requirements. The main strength requirements for structural applications are its mechanical properties namely Tensile strength either compressive or tensile load, The present review is to study and understand the characteristics of Aluminium alloys and ways to enhance the mechanical properties of Aluminium alloys.

Abstract: This review paper emphasizes joining aluminum and its alloys by using conventional joining methods, where the formation of defects is occurred in weld joints. The defects are porosity, cracks, hole formation, residual stress, distortion are observed in traditional weld joints. To overcome these defects in welds, The Welding Institute UK has developed a green welding process such as friction stir welding (FSW). The joints of aluminum and its alloys exhibit different FSW characteristics depends on the tool rotational speed and traverse speed. Various aluminum alloys exhibit different strengths for different tool rotational speeds. The main reason for variations in microhardness is the quantity of heat input and enough heat should be supplied to obtain sound joints. Therefore, there is still lack of studies that need to be carried out to optimize the quantity of heat input needed to achieve improved weld strength and joint efficiency. In addition, FSW process needs to be integrated with artificial intelligence tools to monitor the process online.

Abstract: This study examines the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of magnesium nanocrystalline (nc) AZ61 alloy, which is produced using the SPS and mechanical milling processes. The results are presented and discussed. Using optical microscopy, it has been shown that the powders underwent twining, and after eight hours of milling, the subgrain boundaries developed, defining the grains with a nanometer size of 60 nm. The AZ61 alloy was sintered by spark plasma sintering at temperatures between 465⁰ to 565⁰ degrees Celsius. It has been noted that the grains in pure magnesium magnesium AZ61 alloys are uniformly dispersed, have few pores, and have particle boundaries throughout the SPS process. The mechanical parameters of the AZ61 alloy, namely hardness, compressive strength, and corrosion resistance, increase with increasing sintering temperature by approximately 725MPa, 298 MPa, and 0.18 mm.y-1.

Abstract: A significant number of high-performance engineering structures are repeatedly subjected to both thermal and mechanical loads, often in a combined fashion. However, because of the increase in the plasticity of metallic structures when they are loaded at high temperatures, the analysis become very complex. This presents a significant obstacle for the comprehension of both the growth of cracks and the thermo-mechanical fatigue performance of the material. Thermomechanical fatigue and thermal fatigue are characterized by external and internal constraining forces, respectively. The beginning and spread of thermal fatigue cracks are controlled by a variety of factors, including the modes of heating and cooling, the temperature range, the maximum temperature rates, and the holding times. The process of a crack beginning and the rate at which it spreads are both sped up when the temperature is raised. However, because of the development of powerful statistical learning algorithms as well as rapid advancements in computational power, there has been an increased adoption of machine learning approaches as well as other advanced computational analyses and numerical software for crack damage detection and damage severity. This has led to an increase in the use of these methods.

Abstract: There is a significant improvement in specific strength and wear resistance of metal matrix composites (MMCs) in comparison to unreinforced alloys. Low-density reinforcements such as SiC havethe advantageof beingrelatively inexpensive and readily available abundantly and is cost-effective among the several uneven dispersoids used. Meagre work is carried out on processing of Al2219-SiC MMCs which is the originality of current work. The Al2219 matrix alloy in the current study was reinforced with different weight percentages of SiC (3%, 5%, and 7%), and it was produced by the stir casting process. Its microstructure and physical properties were examined, and it was then compared to the alloy as-cast. A study of SiC reinforced Al2219 MMC characterization and stir casting technology is presented in this paper to illustrate its salient features.

Abstract: This project aims to investigate and compare the tribological properties of copper-based alloys produced by the die-casting method. Tribological properties, such as wear resistance and frictional behavior, play a crucial role in determining the suitability of materials for various engineering applications. Copper has many useful properties, such as high thermal and electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and antibacterial properties. It is used in a variety of industries, including electrical and electronics, construction, transportation, and healthcare. The study involves conducting wear tests on various copper-based alloys using a linear reciprocating tribometer. These tests were performed under different loading conditions (5N, 10N, and 15N), varied time durations (5 min, 15 min, and 30 min), Wear rates and morphologies of the specimens were determined by SEM. The effect of composition, microstructure, and hardness on the wear behavior of copper-based alloys has been carried out. The correlation between hardness and wear resistance was analyzed. The findings of this study could provide valuable information for the selection and optimization of copper-based alloys for trigolocal applications. The copper alloys has been characterized by an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis was used to analyze the wear surfaces.

Abstract: An experimental study is performed on thermal fluid transport phenomenon in plate heat exchanger. Emphasis is placed on enhancement of heat transfer performance in plate heat exchanger with the aid of silica-nanofluid as a working fluid. A plate heat exchanger (PHE), manufactured by HISAKA company (RX-O15A-KNHJ-7), is used as the test section. The PHE has 3 stainless steel plates (271.3mm X 136.5mm) with a nominal gap of 2.5 mm between any two plates. Thermal energy of the hot working fluid is transferred to that of the cold one through the titanium plate in the test section. Here, hot and cold working fluids are supplied by the independent loops, i.e., hot and cold fluid loops, respectively. It is found that (i) heat transfer is enhanced due to particle suspension in comparison with the pure working fluid, and (ii) heat transfer performance is substantially intensified with an increase in volume fraction of nanoparticle and Reynolds number.

Abstract: Additive manufacturing is one of the emerging domains in the industry. The ability to build complex and accurate metallic prototypes is crucial in the verifying the design of many essential components. Direct metal laser sintering technique is a type of laser powder bed fusion methods that is used to print samples with good accuracy. Typically, Al alloys are used in these techniques, mainly due to their high mass to strength ratio and good corrosion resistance. These alloys are typically used in the automobile and aero-space industry. This research focus on the effects of DMLS technique on the density and hardness of the sample

Abstract: Al-10MgSi alloy was produced by additive manufacturing technique using selective laser melting. The processing parameters are optimized for printing an alloy using this technique. The microstructures, physical and mechanical properties of printed samples are tested using different characterization techniques such as optical metallurgical microscope, electronic balance and nano 25kN BISS instrument. The surface topography of the printed sample is entirely different from the surface topography of the alloy produced using other different processing techniques. The average density of the selective laser melting samples found to be reported as 2.59± 0.02g/cc. The microhardness of the sample is measured using Vickers hardness testing machine and the average micro Vickers hardness is reported as 128±3.14 HV1. The mechanical properties such as yield strength (YS) and ultimate compression strength (UCS) are measured using tensile cum compression testing machine. The YS of the compressed sample 1 is 190 MPa, sample 2 is revealed as 250 MPa, and the sample 3 is reported as 210 MPa. The UCS of compressed samples one, two and three are reported as 500, 320 and 350 MPa respectively.