Tribological Properties of Al2024-2wt.%TiO2 Nanocomposite Produced by Mechanical Alloying and Hot-Pressing

Aluminum matrix composites have recently gained increased attention for structural applications in many industries due to their excellent properties. In this research, machining scraps of coarse-grained Al2024-T3 alloy were used to prepare nanostructured Al2024 alloy and Al2024-2wt.%TiO2 nanocomposite. Then, tribological behavior of bulk nanostructured Al2024 alloy and Al2024-2wt.%TiO2 nanocomposite, produced by 10 h of mechanical alloying and subsequent hot-pressing at 500 C for 20 min, was investigated. Hardness measurements on the samples revealed that the hardness value of mechanically alloyed and hot-pressed Al2024 alloy reached a value of  198 HV, which was  41% higher than that for the initial coarse-grained Al2024-T3 alloy (140 HV). The average hardness values of Al2024-2wt.%TiO2 nanocomposite was found to be 238 HV, which showed ~ 20% increase compared with that for the nanostructured Al2024 alloy. The wear resistance of samples changed in the order of coarse-grained Al2024 alloy