The increased demand for wear-resistant and low-weight components in the automobile industry has led to the utilization of aluminum metal matrix composite parts due to their improved performance. The current work focused on optimizing the tribological factors such as applied load, rotational speed, and percentage weight fraction of the reinforcing particles for minimum dry sliding wear rate of Al6061/nano-Al₂O₃/quartz hybrid composite fabricated by stir casting. The optimization is performed by using the Taguchi L₂₇ orthogonal array experimental plan, and the result is analyzed by the help of analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result of the optimization reveals that the optimum levels of factors for the minimum wear rate are 10N, 200rpm, and 12.5. Furthermore, the ANOVA result depicts that the applied load has the highest impact (87.83) on the wear rate, followed by rotational speed (10.06) and percentage weight fraction of the reinforcement (1.60). The developed linear regression model reveals that the applied load and the rotational speed have a positive relation with the sliding wear rate. However, the percentage weight fraction of the reinforcement has a negative relation. The confirmation test proves that the predicted value of wear rate using the regression equation at optimum levels has a closer agreement with the experimental result having a 6.934 error. Furthermore, the physical property test reveals that the rise in the weight percentage of quartz particles results in a corresponding increase in the percentage porosity of the hybrid composite.

The challenge of enhancing cutting tool life has been dealt with by many research studies. However, this challenge seems endless with growing technological advancement which brings about incremental improvement in tool life. The objective of this review paper is focused at assessing filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition techniques applied on cutting tools and their effect on tool efficiency. The paper particularly picks filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD) among other well-identified methods of coating like the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD). Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc Deposition is the state of art in the coating technology finding wide application in the electronics industry and medical industry in addition to the machining industry, which is the concern of this review paper. This review is made in order to summarize and present the various techniques of FCVAD coatings and their applications, as investigated by various researches in the area.

This study investigates the enhancement of AA6082/Al₂O₃ aluminum metal matrix nanocomposites (AMMNCs) through powder metallurgy combined with systematic process optimization. Ultrasound-assisted dispersion and Taguchi design L9 orthogonal array were employed to improve nanoparticle distribution and optimize fabrication parameters. The effect of Al₂O₃ content and ultrasonication time (UT) on hardness and compressive strength was analyzed using S/N ratio and ANOVA. Characterization was performed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The result shows that Al₂O₃ content had the most significant influence on both hardness (82.25%) and compressive strength (81.08%), followed by UT. The optimal condition produced a maximum hardness of 31.9 HV and compressive strength of 205.53 MPa. Regression models demonstrated strong predictive accuracy (R² > 85%). Overall, the study highlights the effectiveness of parameter optimization in improving nanocomposite performance and provides valuable guidance for advanced material design.

Aluminum alloys are widely used in different engineering application areas, such as aerospace, automotive, and marine industries. However, their properties need some improvement in order to enlarge their application area. Thus, the objective of the study was to improve the physical and mechanical properties of Al6061 aluminum alloy by reinforcing it with nano-Al2O3 and micro-quartz particles. The investigation primarily was focused on studying the impact of quartz particles on the mechanical and physical properties of an Al6061/nano Al2O3/quartz hybrid composite. The hybrid composite was developed using a stir casting technique, by varying the weight percentage of quartz particles at 3%, 6%, and 9%, while maintaining a constant weight percentage of nano-Al2O3 at 3.5%. To evaluate the composite's properties, test samples were prepared according to ASTM E9-09 and ASTM E23 standards for hardness, compressive strength, creep, and impact energy absorption, respectively. The results of the investigation demonstrate that, with the addition of 9 wt.% of micro-quartz particles and 3.5 wt.% of nano-Al2O3 nanoparticles, all mechanical and physical properties of the matrix were improved, except for the impact strength. Based on these results, the developed hybrid composite material can be recommended for light weight automotive spare parts such as brakes and clutch discs.