MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

www.elsevier.com/locate/matchar

Characterization of boron carbide particulate

reinforced in situ copper surface composites
synthesized using friction stir processing

R. Sathiskumar a , N. Murugana , I. Dinaharanb , S.J. Vijayc,⁎

a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 014 Tamil Nadu, India
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, V V College of Engineering, Tisaiyanvilai, 627 657 Tamil Nadu, India
c
Centre for Research in Metallurgy (CRM), School of Mechanical Sciences, Karunya University, Coimbatore, 641 114 Tamil Nadu, India

AR TIC LE D ATA ABSTR ACT

Article history: Friction stir processing has evolved as a novel solid state technique to fabricate surface
Received 13 March 2013 composites. The objective of this work is to apply the friction stir processing technique to
Received in revised form fabricate boron carbide particulate reinforced copper surface composites and investigate
28 June 2013 the effect of B4C particles and its volume fraction on microstructure and sliding wear
Accepted 1 July 2013 behavior of the same. A groove was prepared on 6 mm thick copper plates and packed with
B4C particles. The dimensions of the groove was varied to result in five different volume
fractions of B4C particles (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 vol.%). A single pass friction stir processing was
Keywords: done using a tool rotational speed of 1000 rpm, travel speed of 40 mm/min and an axial
Metal matrix composites force of 10 kN. Metallurgical characterization of the Cu/B4C surface composites was carried
Friction stir processing out using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The sliding wear behavior
Microstructure was evaluated using a pin-on-disk apparatus. Results indicated that the B4C particles
Wear significantly influenced the area, dispersion, grain size, microhardness and sliding wear
behavior of the Cu/B4C surface composites. When the volume fraction of B4C was increased,
the wear mode changed from microcutting to abrasive wear and wear debris was found to
be finer.
© 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Copper based ceramic particulate reinforced metal matrix
composites (CMMCs) have been the subject of extensive
research due to their good mechanical, thermal and tribological
properties. CMMCs are applied where good wear resistance
without loss of thermal and electrical conductivity of the matrix
is needed [1–4]. The introduction of hard, nondeformable
ceramic particles into matrix alloy causes a loss in ductility
and toughness of CMMC. The surface properties determine the
life of components in several applications. Therefore, it is
suitable to modify the surface of the component by reinforcing
with ceramic particles. This enables the inner matrix to retain
its ductility and toughness. The modified surface layer
reinforced with ceramic particles is commonly called as surface
composite [5,6].
Friction stir processing (FSP) is a novel solid state technique
to fabricate surface composites [7,8]. Mishra et al. [9] developed
FSP, based on the principles of friction stir welding (FSW) to
produce surface composites. A method to produce surface
composite using FSP is to prepare a groove of required depth
and width, compact with ceramic particles, plunge the tool and
traverse along the groove [10–12]. The frictional heat softens the
matrix alloy and the ceramic particles are dispersed within the

⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: + 91 9944516658; fax: +91 0422 2614300.

E-mail addresses: sathiscit2011@gmail.com (R. Sathiskumar), murugan@cit.edu.in (N. Murugan), dinaweld2009@gmail.com
(I. Dinaharan), vijayjoseph@karunya.edu (S.J. Vijay).

1044-5803/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2013.07.001

Downloaded from http://www.elearnica.ir

 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7
plasticized matrix alloy due to the rigorous stirring action of the
tool. This technique has been effectively explored by several
investigators to fabricate surface composite on aluminum
[13–15], magnesium [16,17], steel [18] and titanium alloys [19].
Barmouz et al. [20–23] successfully applied the FSP technique
to fabricate Cu/SiC surface composites in recent times. He
studied various aspects of the FSP process on the formation of in
situ Cu/SiC surface composite. It was reported that the traverse
speed significantly influenced the distribution of SiC particles.
Higher traverse speed led to poor distribution of SiC particles
and vice versa [20]. The size of the SiC particles considerably
influenced the grain size and wear rate of Cu/SiC surface
composite. Nanosize SiC particles yielded finer grains and lower
wear rate compared to macrosize SiC particles. Increased
volume fraction of both micro and nanosized SiC particles
enhanced the wear resistance of the surface composites [21].
Increasing the number of passes resulted in the reduction of the
SiC particle size and grain size of copper. It also improved the
dispersion and separation of SiC particles due to longer
processing time and severe stirring action in the stir zone [22].
The tool pin profile also influenced the formation of Cu/SiC
surface composite. A straight cylindrical pin profile produced a
uniform distribution of SiC particles and finer grain size in the
stir zone, increased hardness and wear resistance compared to
the square pin profile [23].
In the present work, an attempt is made to fabricate Cu/B4C
surface composite using FSP and study the effect of B4C
particles and its volume fraction (vol.%) on microstructure and
dry sliding wear behavior of the same. Boron carbide (B4C) has
excellent chemical and thermal stability, high hardness and
low density and is used for manufacturing of armor tank,
neutron shielding material etc. [24–26]. B4C coating is applied on
copper and steel using various methods which are extensively
used in nuclear industries [27,28].
2. Experimental Procedure
Commercially available pure copper plates of size
100 mm × 50 mm × 6 mm were used for this study. The
optical photomicrograph of as received copper plate is
shown in Fig. 1a. A groove of 2.5 mm deep was made in
the middle of the plate using wire EDM and compacted with
B4C powder. The average size of B4C particles used in this
Fig. 1 – (a) Optical photomicrograph of copper and (b) SEM micrograph of B4C particles.
17
work was 4 μm. The SEM micrograph of B4C particles is
shown in Fig. 1b. A pinless tool was initially employed to
cover the top of the groove after filling with B4C particles to
prevent the particles from scattering during FSP [29]. A tool
made of double tempered hot working steel as shown in
Fig. 2 was used in this study. The tool had a shoulder
diameter of 20 mm, pin diameter of 5 mm and pin length of
3 mm. The FSP was carried out on an indigenously built
FSW machine. The process parameters employed were: tool
rotational speed of 1000 rpm, traverse speed of 40 mm/min
and axial force of 10 kN. The FSP procedure to produce
surface composite is schematically shown in Fig. 3. Five
such plates were friction stir processed by varying the
width of the groove to result in five levels of volume
fraction of B4C particles (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 vol.%). The
theoretical and actual volume fractions of B4C particles
were calculated using the following expressions:
Theoretical volume fraction ðVt Þ
¼ ðArea of groove=Projected area of tool pinÞ  100 ð1Þ
Actual volume fraction ðVa Þ
¼ ðArea of groove=Area of surface compositeÞ  100 ð2Þ
Area of groove ¼ Groove width  Groove depth ð3Þ
Projected area of tool pin ¼ Pin diameter  Pin length: ð4Þ
Specimens were obtained from the centre of the friction stir
processed plates and were polished as per standard metallo-
graphic procedure. The polished specimens were etched with a
color etchant containing 20 g chromic acid, 2 g sodium sulfate,
and 1.7 ml HCl (35%) in 100 ml distilled water. The digital image
of the macrostructure of the etched specimens was captured
using a digital optical scanner. The microstructure was ob-
served using a metallurgical microscope and a scanning
electron microscope. The microhardness was measured using
a microhardness tester at 500 g load applied for 15 s at various
locations in the surface composite.
The sliding wear behavior of Cu/B4C surface composites
was measured using a pin-on-disk wear apparatus (DUCOM
TR20-LE) at room temperature according to ASTM G99-04
standard. Cu/B4C pins of size 3 mm × 5 mm × 20 mm were
prepared from the FSP zone by wire EDM. The wear test was
18 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7
Fig. 2 – Fabricated friction stir processing tool.
conducted at a sliding velocity of 1.5 m/s, normal force of 30 N
and sliding distance of 3000 m. The polished surface of the pin
was slid on a hardened chromium steel disk. A computer
aided data acquisition system was used to monitor the loss of
height. The volumetric loss was computed by multiplying the
cross sectional area of the test pin with its loss of height. The
Fig. 3 – FSP procedure to fabricate surface composite: (a) cutting a groove, (b) compacting the groove with ceramic particles,
(c) processing using a pinless tool and (d) processing using a tool with pin.
wear rate was obtained by dividing volumetric loss to sliding
distance. The worn surfaces of the test specimen were
observed using SEM. The wear debris which were scattered
on the face of the counterface were carefully collected and
characterized using SEM.
3. Results and Discussion
The typical crown appearance of friction stir processed copper
with B4C particles is shown in Fig. 4. The crown presents a
smooth appearance without depressions or prominences.
Semicircular features, similar to those formed during the
conventional milling process are seen. The selected process
parameters are sufficient to produce a defect free crown. The
process parameters were selected based on trial experiments.
It is essential to obtain a smooth crown appearance owing to
the fact that each surface irregularity in the crown leads to
other kind of internal defects in the surface composite.
3.1. Macrostructure of Cu/B4C Surface Composites
The variation of macrostructure of Cu/B4C surface composites
when the volume fraction of B4C particles was increased from
0 to 24 is presented in Fig. 5. It is evident from the figure that
the volume fraction of B4C particles influenced the area of
surface composite to a certain extent. The black line in Fig. 5
indicates the boundary of the FSP zone which contains the
surface composite. When the volume fraction of B4C particles
was increased, the area of the surface composite decreased.
The area of the surface composite was measured using an
image analyzing software. The area of the surface composite
was found to be 44 mm2 at 0 vol.% and 24 mm2 at 24 vol.%.
The reduction in the area of the surface composite can be
 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7
Fig. 4 – Typical crown appearance of friction stir processed
copper using B4C particles.
explained as follows. B4C particles were packed into the
groove prepared in the middle of the plate as mentioned
earlier. Same tool was used to carry out FSP irrespective of the
groove size to accommodate various volume fractions of B4C
particles. Hence, the theoretical area of the surface composite
is equal to the projected area of the tool pin in all cases. Here
the increase in volume fraction of B4C particles due to
increased groove size but keeping same tool pin area
prepareibutes to two factors: (a) increases the content of B4C
particles and (b) reduces the amount of available copper for
plasticization. When the content of B4C particles increases, it
leads to increase in flow stress of the plasticized composite.
Because, the nondeformable B4C particles offer resistance to
the free flow of plasticized copper. In addition to this, the
reduction in available copper boosts the volume fraction of
B4C particles in the surface composite as shown in Fig. 6. The
net result is a higher flow stress of the surface composite.
Therefore, the area of the surface composite reduces when
the volume fraction of B4C particles is increased. The
reduction in the actual volume fraction of B4C particles as
shown in Fig. 6 can be attributed to higher amount of
plasticized copper at the selected FSP parameters compared
to theoretically available copper.
It is further evident from Fig. 5 that the macrostructure of
Cu/B4C surface composites does not have any defects such as
tunnels or pin holes. The vigorous stirring action of the
Fig. 5 – Macrostructure of friction stir zone containing B4C: (a) 0 vol.%, (b) 6 vol.%, (c) 12 vol.%, (d) 18 vol.% and (e) 24 vol.%.
19
Fig. 6 – Comparison of theoretical and actual volume fraction
of B4C particles in Cu/B4C surface composite.
rotating tool causes an interaction between the plasticized
copper and packed B4C particles which results in the
formation of the surface composite. The amount of plasti-
cized material and subsequent material flow behavior play a
crucial role to obtain defect free surface composite. The
frictional heat generated during processing and the tool
movement governs the amount of plasticized material and
material flow. The frictional heat and tool movement are
dependent upon the process parameters such as tool rotational
speed, traverse speed and axial force. The selected set of
process parameters is adequate to fabricate sound Cu/B4C
surface composites. Those process parameters were selected
after number of trail experiments.
3.2. Microstructure of Cu/B4C Surface Composites
The effect of volume fraction of B4C particles on the micro-
structure of Cu/B4C surface composite is shown in Fig. 7. Zero
volume fraction refers to friction stir processed copper. The
optical micrograph of friction stir processed copper is shown in
Fig. 7a which displays dynamically recrystallized copper. The
optical micrographs of Cu/B4C surface composites as shown in
Fig. 7b–e show the uniform distribution of B4C particles
irrespective of volume fraction studied in this work. The SEM
20 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7
Fig. 7 – Optical photomicrograph of Cu/B4C surface composite containing B4C: (a) 0 vol.%, (b) 6 vol.%, (c) 12 vol.%, (d) 18 vol.%
and (e) 24 vol.%.
micrographs as presented in Fig. 8 show the variation of
microstructures as a function of volume fraction of B4C particles
at higher magnification. The number of particles increases as
well as the spacing between particles reduces when the volume
fraction is increased. The uniform distribution of B4C particles
can be attributed to adequate generation of frictional heat,
stirring and plasticized material flow across the friction stir
processed zone. Mild agglomerations are also observed at few
locations. The optical micrographs of Cu/24 vol.% B4C captured
at various locations within the FSP zone is presented in Fig. 9.
All the micrographs present uniform distribution of B4C
particles. The variation in the distribution of B4C particles
across the FSP zone is negligible. The microstructure is
independent upon the location in the FSP zone. This can be
attributed to proper mixing and symmetric material flow during
FSP. It is evident from Fig. 1 that the FSP zone is symmetric
about tool axis.
It is evident that B4C particles refined the grains of copper
comparing Figs. 1 and 7. The average grain size of copper as
shown in Fig. 1 is about 35 μm measured using linear
intercept method. The average grain size of copper in the
surface composite is 13 μm at 0 vol.% and 2 μm at 24 vol.%.
The grain boundaries (Figs. 7 and 9) of the etched micrographs
are not seen clearly or completely. The grain boundaries of
Cu/SiC fabricated using FSP were not well pronounced in the
works of Barmouz et al. [20–23]. The authors of this work used
an image analyzing software attached with the microscope to
construct the grain boundaries completely and measured the
grain size. A sample processed image of the optical micro-
graph is shown in Fig. 10. The grain refinement can be
attributed to the pinning effect of B4C particles which impede
the grain growth by suppressing grain boundary sliding [20].
Further, continuous dynamic recrystallization during FSP
creates new nucleation sites which results in smaller grains.
The B4C particles are subjected to the severe plastic flow of
copper during FSP. Several investigators observed a change in
the size and morphology of ceramic particles during FSW
[30–34]. No such fragmentation of B4C particles was observed
 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7
Fig. 8 – SEM micrograph of Cu/B4C surface composite containing B4C: (a) 6 vol.%, (b) 12 vol.%, (c) 18 vol.% and (d) 24 vol.%.
with the tooling and process parameters described within this
work. The variation of B4C particle size in the surface
composite as seen in Fig. 8 is minimum and negligible. The
variations in the morphology of the B4C particles before (Fig. 1)
and after (Fig. 8) FSP are negligible. B4C particles retain the
initial size and morphology. This can be attributed to the
initial morphology and size of B4C particles which have a
minimum number of sharp edges.
The interface between B4C particles and the copper matrix
appears (Fig. 8) to be clean and is not surrounded by any voids
or reaction products. Barmouz et al. [21] observed a lot of
porosities around SiC particles in the Cu/SiC surface compos-
ite fabricated using FSP technique. Frage et al. [35] noticed
reaction products around SiC particles in the Cu/SiC compos-
ite fabricated using liquid metallurgy route. No porosity or
reaction products can be seen in the higher magnification
micrographs of the Cu/B4C surface composite around B4C
particles which confirms the presence of a clean interface. A
clean interface provides proper bonding between B4C particles
and copper matrix and improves mechanical and tribological
properties. Sufficient material flow and stirring create such a
porosity free interface.
The effect of volume fraction of B4C particles on the
microstructure of the transition zone is shown in Fig. 11. The
transition zone of friction stir processed monolithic alloys
generally consists of heat affected zone (HAZ), thermo
mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) and friction stir processed
(FSP) zone [7]. The boundary between HAZ and TMAZ is not
seen clearly (Fig. 11a) in friction stir processed copper
(0 vol.%). The FSP zone spreads over TMAZ. The recrystalliza-
tion during FSP occurs relatively easier in single phase copper
which leads to such a wider FSP zone [36]. But the boundary
21
between HAZ and TMAZ is clearly seen (Fig. 11b and c) in
friction stir processed copper using B4C particles. TMAZ
reveals the alignment of B4C particles along the boundary. A
parallel band-like distribution of particles is observed. The
boundary becomes thicker when volume fraction is increased
due to increased content of B4C particles. It is further evident
from Fig. 11b and c that there are no discontinuities or flaws
along the boundary. The Cu/B4C surface composite is properly
bonded to the copper substrate.
3.3. Microhardness of Cu/B4C Surface Composites
The effect of volume fraction of B4C particles on the
microhardness of Cu/B4C surface composite is shown in
Fig. 12. The microhardness increased when the volume
fraction of B4C is increased. The microhardness was found
to be 80 Hv at 0 vol.% and 195 Hv at 24 vol.%. The presence of
hard B4C particles improves the hardness. The reinforcement
of B4C particles increases the dislocation density of copper.
The interaction between B4C particles and dislocations
increases the microhardness of the composite. When the
volume fraction increases, the number of dislocations in the
copper increases due to the higher number of B4C particles.
This leads to higher interactions between B4C particles and
dislocations which further increases microhardness.
3.4. Sliding Wear Behavior of Cu/B4C Surface Composites
The effect of volume fraction of B4C particles on the wear rate of
Cu/B4C surface composite is shown in Fig. 13. The wear rate
decreased when volume fraction is increased. The wear rate was
found to be 248 × 10−5 mm3/m at 0 vol.% and 174 × 10−5 mm3/m
22 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7

Fig. 9 – Optical photomicrograph of Cu/24 vol.% B4C surface composite at various locations within the FSP zone. The sample
locations are marked in the macrograph (top left figure).

at 24 vol.%. It is a well known fact that improvement in hardness wear resistance; (i) B4C particles refine the crystal grains of
of the composite would lead to enhancement of wear resistance. copper; (ii) the dispersion of B4C particles all over the Cu matrix
The following factors can be attributed to the enhancement of which can provide Orowan strengthening [37] and (iii) proper

Fig. 10 – A sample optical photomicrograph of Cu/B4C surface composite processed by image analyzing software: (a) gray mask
applied and (b) grain boundaries constructed.
 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7 23

Fig. 11 – Optical photomicrograph of transient zone between Cu and Cu/B4C surface composite containing B4C: (a) 0 vol.%,
(b) 12 vol.% and (c) 24 vol.%.

bonding between B4C particles and copper matrix which delays
the detachment of particles during sliding action. The effect of
those factors increases when volume fraction of B4C particles is
increased due to the higher volume fraction of B4C particles. This
further enhances the wear resistance of the surface composite.
The effect of volume fraction of B4C particles on the worn
surface of Cu/B4C surface composite is shown in Fig. 14. There is
a significant difference in the morphology of the worn surfaces.
The degree of subsurface deformation decreases and the
plowing marks and cracks disappear on the worn surface
when volume fraction is increased. The worn surface of friction
stir processed copper (Fig. 14a, 0 vol.%) shows severe plastic
deformation and material removal. The copper is directly
exposed to the cutting action of the counterface material in
the absence of B4C particles which causes high rate of material
removal. When the volume fraction of B4C particles increases,
the increased content of B4C particles helps the copper matrix to
offer resistance to the cutting action as well as restrict the
plastic deformation during sliding action. Hence, the rate of
metal removal decreases as volume fraction is increased. When
the volume fraction of B4C particles is 24, the worn surface is
observed (Fig. 14e) to be uniform due to higher content of B4C
particles. The worn surface is covered with debris. There are no
apparent cracks or subsurface deformation. The debris does
not adhere to the worn surface due to the hard nature of
the B4C particles. When the volume fraction of B4C particles
is increased, the wear mode changes from microcutting
(Fig. 14a,b) to abrasive (Fig. 14c–e).

Fig. 12 – Effect of B4C content on microhardness of Cu/B4C Fig. 13 – Effect of B4C content on wear rate of Cu/B4C surface
surface composite. composite.
24 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7

Fig. 14 – SEM micrograph of worn surface of Cu/B4C surface composite containing B4C: (a) 0 vol.%, (b) 6 vol.%, (c) 12 vol.%,
(d) 18 vol.% and (e) 24 vol.%.

The effect of volume fraction of B4C particles on the wear
debris of Cu/B4C surface composite is shown in Fig. 15. There
is a significant change in the size of the wear debris. The size
of wear debris is large (Fig. 15a and b) for friction stir processed
copper (0 vol.%) and Cu/B4C surface composite with six
volume fraction of B4C particles. The large size of wear debris
can be attributed to the microcutting action of the
counterface. When the volume fraction increases beyond six,
the size of wear debris decreases considerably. The size of
wear debris is fine when the volume fraction is 24. The
formation of fine wear debris can be attributed to the
following two factors: (i) increased hardness of the surface
composite and (ii) decreased probability of direct contact
between wear specimen and counterface due to the pres-
ence of B4C particles. The detached B4C particles during
sliding convert two body abrasion wear to three body
abrasion wear which results in the generation of fine debris.
The mechanism of formation of fine debris is comparable to
 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7 25

Fig. 15 – SEM micrograph of wear debris of Cu/B4C surface composite containing B4C: (a) 0 vol.%, (b) 6 vol.%, (c) 12 vol.%,
(d) 18 vol.% and (e) 24 vol.%.

high energy ball milling. When the volume fraction in-
creases, the milling action increases due to the higher
content of B4C particles. Therefore, the size of wear debris
is reduced.
4. Conclusions
Cu/B4C surface composites were successfully fabricated using
the novel method FSP and the effect of B4C particles and its
volume fraction on microstructure and sliding wear behavior
were analyzed. The results can be summarized as follows:
• The volume fraction of B4C particles influenced the area of
the surface composite. The area of the surface composite
was found to be 44 mm2 at 0 vol.% and 24 mm2 at 24 vol.%.
• B4C particles were distributed uniformly irrespective of the
volume fraction studied in this work. The number of
particles increased as well as the spacing between particles
reduced when the volume fraction was increased.
26 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7
• Cu/B4C surface composite demonstrated a reduction in the
average grain size. The average grain size of copper in the
surface composite is 13 μm at 0 vol.% and 2 μm at 24 vol.%.
• B4C particles retained the initial size and morphology
without undergoing fragmentation during FSP. The inter-
face between B4C particles and copper matrix was observed
to be clean.
• The microhardness increased when the volume fraction of
B4C particles is increased. The microhardness was found to
be 80 Hv at 0 vol.% and 195 Hv at 24 vol.%.
• The wear rate decreased when the volume fraction of B4C
particles is increased. The wear rate was found to be
248 × 10−5 mm3/m at 0 vol.% and 174 × 10−5 mm3/m at
24 vol.%.
• The wear mode changed from microcutting to abrasive wear
when the volume fraction was increased. The size of wear
debris became finer when the volume fraction was increased.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the Management and Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Coimbatore Institute of Technol-
ogy, Coimbatore, India for extending the facilities to carry out
this investigation. The authors also acknowledge the financial
support rendered by the Naval Research Board, DRDO, Govt. of
India. One of the authors, Dr. I. Dinaharan acknowledges the
Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India for
providing INSPIRE fellowship. The authors are also thankful to
Mr. K. Kalaiselvan, Mr. C. Maxwell Rejil, and Mr. G. Ashok
Kumar for their assistance.
REFERENCES
[1] Dhokey NB, Paretkar RK. Study of wear mechanisms in
copper-based SiCp (20% by volume) reinforced composite.
Wear 2008;265:117–33.
[2] Zhu J, Liu L, Zhao H, Shen B, Hu W. Microstructure and
performance of electroformed Cu/nano-SiC composite. Mater
Des 2007;28:1958–62.
[3] Ramesh CS, Ahmed RN, Mujeebu MA, Abdullah MZ.
Development and performance analysis of novel cast
copper–SiC–Gr hybrid composites. Mater Des 2009;30:1957–65.
[4] Rajkumar K, Aravindan S. Tribological performance of
microwave sintered copper–TiC–graphite hybrid composites.
Tribol Int 2011;144:347–58.
[5] Attia AN. Surface metal matrix composites. Mater Des
2001;22:451–7.
[6] Romankova S, Hayasakab Y, Shchetinin IV, Yoona JM, Komarov
SV. Fabrication of Cu–SiC surface composite under ball
collisions. Appl Surf Sci 2011;257:5032–6.
[7] Ma ZY. Friction stir processing technology: a review. Metall
Mater Trans A 2008;39:642–58.
[8] Arora HS, Singh H, Dhindaw BK. Composite fabrication using
friction stir processing—a review. Int J Adv Manuf Technol
2012;61:1043–55.
[9] Mishra RS, Ma ZY, Charit I. Friction stir processing: a novel
technique for fabrication of surface composite. Mater Sci Eng
A 2003;341:307–10.
[10] Morisada Y, Fujii H, Nagaoka T, Fukusumi M.
Nanocrystallized magnesium alloy — uniform dispersion of
C60 molecules. Scr Mater 2006;55:1067–70.
[11] Morisada Y, Fujii H, Nagaoka T, Fukusumi M. MWCNTs/AZ31
surface composites fabricated by friction stir processing.
Mater Sci Eng A 2006;419:344–8.
[12] Morisada Y, Fujii H, Nagaoka T, Fukusumi M. Effect of friction
stir processing with SiC particles on microstructure and
hardness of AZ31. Mater Sci Eng A 2006;433:50–4.
[13] Wang W, Shi QY, Liu P, Li HK, Li T. A novel way to produce
bulk SiCp reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites by
friction stir processing. J Mater Process Technol 2009;209:
2099–103.
[14] Rejil CM, Dinaharan I, Vijay SJ, Murugan N. Microstructure
and sliding wear behavior of AA6360/(TiC + B4C) hybrid
surface composite layer synthesized by friction stir
processing on aluminum substrate. Mater Sci Eng A 2012;552:
336–44.
[15] Moghaddas MA, Bozorg SFK. Effects of thermal conditions
on microstructure in nanocomposite of Al/Si3N4
produced by friction stir processing. Mater Sci Eng A
2013;559:187–93.
[16] Azizieh M, Kokabi AH, Abachi P. Effect of rotational speed and
probe profile on microstructure and hardness of AZ31/Al2O3
nanocomposites fabricated by friction stir processing. Mater
Des 2011;32:2034–41.
[17] Asadi P, Givi MKB, Abrinia K, Taherishargh M, Salekrostam R.
Effects of SiC particle size and process parameters on the
microstructure and hardness of AZ91/SiC composite layer
fabricated by FSP. J Mater Eng Perform 2011;20:1554–62.
[18] Salekrostam R, Givi MKB, Asadi P, Bahemmat P. Influence of
friction stir processing parameters on the fabrication of
SiC/316 L surface composite. Defect Diffus Forum
2010;297–301:221–6.
[19] Shamsipura A, Bozorg SFK, Hanzakia AZ. The effects of
friction-stir process parameters on the fabrication of Ti/SiC
nano-composite surface layer. Surf Coat Technol 2011;206:
1372–81.
[20] Barmouz M, Givi MKB, Seyfi J. On the role of processing
parameters in producing Cu/SiC metal matrix composites via
friction stir processing: investigating microstructure,
microhardness, wear and tensile behavior. Mater Charact
2011;62:108–17.
[21] Barmouz M, Asadi P, Givi MKB, Taherishargh M. Investigation
of mechanical properties of Cu/SiC composite fabricated by
FSP: effect of SiC particles size and volume fraction. Mater Sci
Eng A 2011;528:1740–9.
[22] Barmouz M, Givi MKB. Fabrication of in situ Cu/SiC
omposites using multi-pass friction stir processing:
evaluation of microstructural, porosity, mechanical and
electrical behavior. Compos Part A 2011;42:1445–53.
[23] Barmouz M, Givi MKB, Jafari J. Influence of tool pin profile on
the microstructure and mechanical behavior of Cu/SiC metal
matrix composites produced by friction stir processing. Adv
Mater Res 2011;154–155:1761–6.
[24] Chen XG, Silva M, Gougeon P, St-Georges L. Microstructure
and mechanical properties of friction stir welded
AA6063–B4C metal matrix composites. Mater Sci Eng A
2009;518:174–84.
[25] Guo J, Amira S, Gougeon P, Chen XG. Effect of the surface
preparation techniques on the EBSD analysis of a friction stir
welded AA1100–B4C metal matrix composite. Mater Charact
2011;62:865–77.
[26] Kalaiselvan K, Murugan N, Parameswaran S. Production and
characterization of AA6061–B4C stir cast composite. Mater
Des 2011;32:4004–9.
[27] Nanobashvili S, Matejıcek J, Zacek F, Stockel J, Chraska P,
Brozek V. Plasma sprayed coatings for RF wave absorption.
J Nucl Mater 2002;307–311:1334–8.
[28] Maruyama T, Onose S. Fabrication and thermal conductivity
of boron carbide/copper cermet. J Nucl Sci Technol 1999;36:
380–5.
 MA TE RI A L S CH A R A CT ER IZ A TI O N 8 4 (2 0 1 3) 1 6–2 7
[29] Lee CJ, Huang JC, Hsieh PJ. Mg based nano-composites
fabricated by friction stir processing. Scr Mater 2006;54:
1415–20.
[30] Marzoli LM, Strombeck AV, Santos JF, Gambaro C, Volpone
LM. Friction stir welding of an AA6061/Al2O3/20p reinforced
alloy. Compos Sci Technol 2006;66:363–71.
[31] Amirizad M, Kokabi AH, Gharacheh MA, Sarrafi R, Shalchi B,
Azizieh M. Evaluation of microstructure and mechanical
properties in friction stir welded A356 + 15%SiCp cast
composite. Mater Lett 2006;60:565–8.
[32] Ceschini L, Boromei I, Minak G, Morri A, Tarterini F. Effect of
friction stir welding on microstructure, tensile and fatigue
properties of the AA7005/10 vol.%Al2O3p composite. Compos
Sci Technol 2007;67:605–15.
27
[33] Feng AH, Xiao BL, Ma ZY. Effect of microstructural evolution
on mechanical properties of friction stir welded AA2009/SiCp
composite. Compos Sci Technol 2008;68:2141–8.
[34] Pirondi A, Collini L. Analysis of crack propagation resistance
of Al–Al2O3 particulate-reinforced composite friction stir
welded butt joints. Int J Fatigue 2009;31:111–21.
[35] Frage N, Froumin N, Aizenshtein M, Dariel MP. Interface
reaction in the B4C/(Cu–Si) system. Acta Mater 2004;52:
2625–35.
[36] Lee WB, Jung SB. The joint properties of copper by friction stir
welding. Mater Lett 2004;58:1041–6.
[37] Zhang Z, Chen DL. Contribution of Orowan strengthening
effect in particulate-reinforced metal matrix
nanocomposites. Mater Sci Eng A 2008;483–484:148–52.