Journal of Manufacturing Processes 19 (2015) 142–147

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Journal of Manufacturing Processes

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/manpro

Technical Paper

Investigations of Al–SiC AMC prepared by vacuum moulding assisted

stir casting
Rupinder Singh ∗ , Gagandeep Singh
Production Engineering Department, GNDEC, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The dry sliding wear is one of the most important properties of metal matrix composite to highlight
Received 25 October 2014 the performance of the material. In this research work an attempt has been made for improving dry
Received in revised form 1 May 2015 sliding wear properties of aluminium matrix composite (AMC) consisting of Al-6063 matrix and SiC
Accepted 17 June 2015
reinforcement prepared through vacuum moulding assisted stir casting (VMASC) as process development
for various industrial applications. The study of VMASC for preparing AMC highlights the novel method
Keywords:
(being a green process) for improving the material performance.
Aluminium metal composite
The controllable process parameters of stir casting (namely: particle size of solute (SiC), proportion of
Fused deposition modelling
Stir casting
SiC) and vacuum moulding process (namely: vacuum pressure and sand grain size) were studied to find
Tribological investigations out their affect on wear properties of AMC.
Vacuum moulding Wear was examined on ‘pin-on-disc type tribological tester’. The results of the study highlights that as
regards to dry sliding wear; sand grain size, vacuum pressure, particle size, and proportion of SiC; have
contributed 5.95%, 10.14%, 10.71% and 73.2%, respectively. The improvement in material performance of
the AMC prepared by using VMASC was counter verified with microstructure analysis.
© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of The Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

1. Introduction Some researchers have also focused on optimization of testing con-

Aluminium–matrix composite (AMC) is not a one material;
rather it is a family of materials which provides tailored proper-
ties such as improved thermal and electrical stability, stiffness,
density and high strength to weight ratio [1]. Commercially the
engine blocks of automobiles are made by metal–matrix com-
posites (MMCs) which help to reduce weight of engine and also
improve fuel efficiency [2]. The behaviour of MMCs is different
from that of monolithic matrix alloys, because reinforcement par-
ticles modify both the mechanical and tribological properties of the
deformed MMC. Now a day’s the use of MMC in various fields such
as aerospace, automotive, electronic sports and other construction
fields is quite common [3]. In the recent past some researchers have
outlined the wear properties of AMC prepared via different manu-
facturing routes [4–6]. The previous studies highlights that process
parameters (such as abrasive grit size, hardness of surface and per-
centage of abrasive particle) affect the wear of AMC prepared [7].
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 9872257575; fax: +91 1612490339.
E-mail addresses: rupindersingh78@yahoo.com, singhrupinder@gndec.ac.in
(R. Singh).
trollable parameters of ‘Pin-on-disc test’ for wear analysis [8–13].
Further, wear properties of AMCs are also affected by processing
techniques, so several methods such as stir casting, perform infil-
tration, powder metallurgy and spray forming are used to prepare
Al–SiC MMC [14].
In the present research work, ABS plastic based master pattern
has been prepared on fused deposition modelling (FDM) for vac-
uum moulding assisted stir casting (VMASC). The study of VMASC
for preparing AMC highlights the novel method (being a green tech-
nology) for improving the material performance with tailor made
properties. The vacuum moulding (VM) process is distinctly differ-
ent from other sand casting processes, as this process requires no
binders for holding the sand grains together in the mould [15–18].
The vacuum inside the mould results in a net pressure pushing in,
holding the sand rigidly in the shape of the pattern, even after the
pattern is removed. The process uses a specially designed, strong,
highly flexible polymer film to seal the open ends of the sand
mould and form the mould cavity. Moulding equipment is sim-
ple too [19–21]. In this process sand thermal conductivity is lower
and metal fluidity is improved [22]. Stir casting involves introduc-
tion of reinforcement/abrasive particles into metal melt by stirring
molten metal/alloy (like aluminium alloys) containing the ceramic

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2015.06.011
1526-6125/© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of The Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
 R. Singh, G. Singh / Journal of Manufacturing Processes 19 (2015) 142–147 143

powders [23–25]. The finally prepared molten alloy, with ceramic

particles reinforcement can then be used for die casting, permanent
mould casting, vacuum mould or sand casting [26].
The literature review reveals that some research work has been
reported on AMC development using vacuum moulding and stir
casting process [17–20,22,25–27]. But hitherto no work has been
reported on the wear properties of AMC prepared with different
particle size of solutes (i.e. SPS: single particle size of solute (SiC),
DPS: double/two particle sizes in equal proprtion by weight of
solute (SiC), TPS: tripple/three particle sizes in equal proportion
by weight of solute (SiC). In the present research work, an effort
has been made to study the wear properties of AMC prepared for
improving the material performance by VMASC.

2. Experimentation

Experimentation of present research work is divided into three

sub sections as follows.

2.1. Preparation of master pattern

Fig. 1. Schematic of the FDM [30].

It should be noted that FDM is one of the commercial rapid
manufacturing processes which reduce cycle time for preparation
of master pattern and works on ‘additive manufacturing principle’
[27–29].
FDM machine (see Fig. 1) commercially manufactures parts of
acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) material by layer-by-layer
deposition on a platform. The master pattern prepared by FDM
was used for vacuum moulding. For this research work, standard
geometry of circular disc was taken as 50 mm diameter and 10 mm
thickness. Small holes were made in the FDM pattern for the suction
of vacuum to provide proper sticking of plastic film (see Fig. 2).

2.2. Vacuum moulding process

In this process, ABS pattern (with vent holes) was placed

Fig. 2. ABS based FDM pattern.
on hollow carrier plate and carrier plate was connected with

Fig. 3. Steps of VM process.

144 R. Singh, G. Singh / Journal of Manufacturing Processes 19 (2015) 142–147

Table 1
Input parameters.

A B C D
Particle Vacuum pressure Sand grain size Percentage
size (mm of Hg) AFS No. of SiC

1. SPS 300 50 5%
2. DPS 350 60 7.5%
3. TPS 400 70 10%

Note: SPS: represents single particle size (of 100 ␮m) of solute (SiC); DPS: represents
double/two particle sizes in equal proprtion by weight (of 100 ␮m and 120 ␮m)
of solute (SiC); TPS: represents tripple/three particle sizes in equal proportion by
weight (of 100 ␮m, 120 ␮m and 150 ␮m) of solute (SiC).

Fig. 4. Preparation of AMC by stirring. Table 2

Control log for experimentation.

S. No. Particle Vacuum pressure Sand grain size Percentage

size (mm of Hg) AFS No. of SiC

1 SPS 300 50 5%
2 SPS 350 60 7.5%
3 SPS 400 70 10%
4 DPS 300 60 10%
5 DPS 350 70 5%
6 DPS 400 50 7.5%
7 TPS 300 70 7.5%
8 TPS 350 50 10%
9 TPS 400 60 5%

distorted mould cavity on pouring molten metal (as plastic film

Fig. 5. Casted specimen produced using VMASC process.
surge tank by hose pipes. Plastic film having thickness range
from 0.076 to 0.20 mm was softened on heating. After heat-
ing, softened film drapes over the pattern and vacuum pressure
was applied 300–400 mm of Hg through the pattern vents to
draw it tightly around the pattern. First mould box was placed
on the film-coated pattern. First mould box is filled with dry
unbounded silica sand (sand size – 50, 60, 70 AFS). After that
spur cup was formed and the mould surface levelled. The back
of the mould was covered with unheated plastic film. Vacuum
pressure was applied to the first mould box and vacuum valve
of hollow carrier plate was closed. Atmospheric pressure then
hardens the sand. On release of vacuum pressure from pattern car-
rier plate, the mould strips easily. After that second mould box
was prepared and placed on the first mould box. Filled with dry
unbounded silica sand and mould cavity get hard by the appli-
cation of vacuum pressure. Proper gate is applied in the second
mould box. Fig. 3 shows the steps of vacuum moulding (VM)
process.
gets burnt and loosens the sand) during casting. However, when
the pressure was above 400 mm of Hg it results in tearing of plastic
film which drops the pressure of the mould well below 200 mm of
Hg. Hence results in distorted cavity. So, 3 levels for vacuum pres-
sure were selected between 300 and 400 mm of Hg pressure. Three
particle size of SiC i.e. single particle size (SPS) of 100 ␮m, dual par-
ticle size (DPS) of 100 ␮m + 120 ␮m and triple particle size (TPS)
of 100 ␮m + 120 ␮m + 150 ␮m were used as reinforcement. Table 1
shows different parameters and their levels for final experimenta-
tion. Further, Table 2 shows the control log for experimentation on
the basis of Taguchi L9 OA.
3. Wear test
Wear tests were performed on Pin-on-disc apparatus, shown in
Fig. 6. Amount of wear depends upon the sliding load, sliding radius,
sliding speed, duration and material properties. EN-31 steel disc has
been used with hardness of 60HRC and the pins were prepared of
8 mm diameter and 25 mm length as per ASTM G99-95 standards.
Tests were performed at 239 rpm sliding speed and 80 mm sliding
diameter at 19.61 N load for 10 min.

2.3. Stir casting process

In stir casting, electrical stir is used to mix SiC abrasive parti-

cles (100 AFS, 120 AFS and 150 AFS) in molten Al-6063 alloy. The
composite slurry was heated to a fully liquid state and then auto-
matic electrically mixing was carried out for about 10 min at a
normal stirring rate of 500 rpm. The stirring duration was 10 min.
The furnace temperature was controlled up to 700 ± 20 ◦ C. Pour-
ing of the composite slurry has been carried out in the sand mould
prepared by the vacuum moulding process. Fig. 4 shows the stir
casting process. Vacuum moulding process specimens are shown
in Fig. 5.
Based upon pilot experimentation, it has been observed that
keeping the vacuum pressure below 300 mm of Hg results in Fig. 6. Pin-on-disc type tribo-setup.
 R. Singh, G. Singh / Journal of Manufacturing Processes 19 (2015) 142–147 145

Table 3 size as the mesh number increases, the grain becomes finer. So, 70
Observations of wear.
grain size was the finer size among the selected sizes and hence
S. No. Wear (␮m) got closely packed on application of pressure. This reduces the per-
meability in the sand and also the time required for solidification.
R1 R2 R3
The SiC is harder than Al because of which, when added to the Al
1 164 160 168
during casting, wear of the AMC decreases, up to 7.5%. On further
2 91 90 92
3 71 73 69 increase in proportion of SiC, it increases the wear of AMC, because
4 145 140 150 SiC may not be uniformly distributed (mainly because of constraint
5 169 171 167 of stir casting parameter selection) and it may have settled down
6 93 94 92 unevenly in casting upon solidification.
7 85 89 81
8 111 110 112
Finally the micro structural analysis was performed on pins
9 150 153 147 (prepared from casted samples) after pin-on-disc test. Cylindri-
cal pins were cut from half and micrographs were taken adjacent
to sliding face. Corresponding face is mounted in bakelite mould
4. Results and discussion and finished on different grades on emery papers and finally
on finishing disc using alumina powder. Hydrofluoric acid 98.5%
Wear results for Al–SiC composites are given in Table 3 indi- concentrated was used for etching. Based upon Table 2, micro-
cating the wear for three repetitive R1 , R2 and R3 experiments structures of the samples as per ASTM-E112-10 standard were
suggested by Taguchi L9 (total 9 × 3). Signal to noise (S/N) ratio obtained at 100× (see Fig. 8).
has been analyzed to optimize the wear results, using Minitab-16 As observed from Fig. 8 for all set of experiments solute par-
statistical software package, for best parametric settings. ticles (SiC) are present, thus contributing towards improved wear
Based upon result shown in Table 3, signal to noise ratio graph resistance properties. It could be seen from the micrographs that
and graph for means were prepared at ‘Smaller is better’ condition the distribution of SiC particles was non uniform resulted into clus-
as shown in Fig. 7. A–D represents the input parameters (as per tering problem. This may be because of improper selection of stir
Table 1) and 1–3 shows their levels. casting process parameters. Further based upon Table 3, Table 4
As observed from Fig. 7, the best results for wear was obtained shows percentage contribution of input parameters for wear.
at SPS particle size of SiC with 7.5% of SiC and 400 mm of Hg vacuum The confirmatory experiments were conducted at suggested
pressure with 70 AFS size of sand particle. It has been found out that settings (i.e. SPS particle size of SiC with 7.5% of SiC and 400 mm
wear of the AMC was best when it was prepared using SPS. This may of Hg vacuum pressure with 70 AFS size of sand particle). The cor-
because of the reason that SPS was of smaller size among the three responding value of wear at proposed setting comes out as 66 ␮m.
particle sizes and it reinforced properly/more uniformly in Al alloys. While comparing this wear data with the observation of Table 3
Due to this, the amount/quantity (on basis of volumetric content) (experiment no. 3) which was having least wear the percentage
of SPS added during casting were more than DPS or TPS for the improvement for wear is (71 − 66/71 × 100) 7.04%. These results
same percentage of addition. This high amount of addition results are valid for 95% confidence level and are in line with the obser-
in less wear. The 400 mm of Hg vacuum pressure increased the vations made by other investigators [31–33]. It should be noted
compaction ratio of the mould and hence gives tight mould which that, in the present work AMC has been prepared in vacuum mould
in turn allows extra sand to come into the moulding box and thus assisted with stir casting. Commercially, there are different ways
reduced the heat transfer rate. Further, this helps in increasing the of preparing AMCs like; powder metallurgy, stir casting, etc. The
time required for solidification resulted into more hardness of the comparison among these techniques has not been made in this
cast specimen which decreased the wear. As regards to sand grain study.

Fig. 7. S/N ratio graph for Wear.

146 R. Singh, G. Singh / Journal of Manufacturing Processes 19 (2015) 142–147

Fig. 8. Microstructure images of 9 sets of experiments.

 R. Singh, G. Singh / Journal of Manufacturing Processes 19 (2015) 142–147
Table 4
Percentage contribution of input parameters for wear.
Parameter Particle Vacuum Percentage Sand
size pressure of SiC size
Percentage 10.71% 10.14% 73.2% 5.95%
contribution in
wear
5. Conclusions
The vacuum moulding assisted stir casting route as a novel
method for preparing AMC with tailor made properties has been
developed successfully. Following are the conclusions from the
study:
I. The improvement in wear resistance properties of AMC has
been observed at proposed parametric settings of vacuum
moulding assisted stir casting process. The results suggest that
particle size of SiC, vacuum pressure, sand grain size and per-
centage of SiC significantly affects the wear (see Table 4). The
improvement in wear was 7.04% at proposed parametric sett-
ings. Further as observed from microstructure images of all 9 set
of experiments the tribological properties have been improved
because of presence of SiC.
II. The best parametric setting for wear is: particle size of Si-SPS,
vacuum pressure – 400 mm/Hg, sand grain size-70 AFS and per-
centage of SiC – 7.5%, respectively.
III. The present research work is focused on the improvement in
material performance of VMASC as a novel method. As a base
study, design of experiment technique has been implemented
for highlighting the effect of SPS, DPS and TPS which has not
been reported earlier. The further research work may be focused
on study of wear tracks, debris using SEM for better understand-
ing of wear mechanism. Also the further investigations may be
conducted with different input parameters of vacuum mould-
ing (like: vibration time and frequency) and stir casting (rpm,
stirring time, depth of stirrer, etc.) process.
Acknowledgement
The authors are thankful to DST New Delhi for financial support.
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