Enhancement in Tribological Properties of Squeeze Casted A356 Alloy Through T6 Heat Treatment Process

The primary goal of this analysis is to investigate the effect of heat treatment processes on the tribological properties of squeeze cast A356 Alloy. Because of its excellent mechanical and tribological properties, the proposed A356 alloy has a wide variety of uses in the automotive industry. Squeeze casting is a cost-effective and promising method of producing aluminium alloy with better properties and a pore-free construction. Furthermore, the properties can be improved using post-processing techniques such as heat treatment, and residual stresses are eliminated as a part of the heat treatment procedure. The aim of this study is to look into the impact of post-processing methods on the tribological properties of squeeze cast A356 alloy. The prepared samples' wear resistance and friction characteristics were measured using a pin-on-disc tribometer test setup under dry sliding conditions with an applied load of 10, 20, 30, and 40N with a steady sliding velocity of 3 m/s. Experimental results show that there is a noticeable increase in hardness, which could be due to the heat treatment process. As a result, the wear and frictional properties of the heat treated A356 alloy are superior to those of the non-post processing squeeze cast samples, making the proposed composite ideal for automotive applications. Heat treated samples were considered to have a lower wear rate and a nominal coefficient of friction. A tribological analysis also shows that as the load increases, the wear rate and coefficient of friction increase.