On the Mechanical and Microstructural

Properties of Novel A356/Kevlar Surface

Composite Fabricated via Friction Stir
Processing

S. Pradeep Devaneyan, D. Peter Pushpanathan and Adhesh Parambath

1 Introduction

Surface metal matrix composites (SMMC) are applied in various field of engineering
where properties in addition to that of the substrate materials are desired. A356-T6
cast aluminum (Al) alloy is a light weight structural material, which is preferred
widely for manufacturing mechanical components especially in automobile indus-
tries where components of complex geometries are used [1]. The usage of this alloy
is limited due to a decline in the mechanical properties induced by casting defects
such as porosity. Hence, it is important to eliminate the casting defects in order to
improve its properties. Surface composites could also be fabricated with ceramic
carbide reinforcements like silicon carbide, carbides of transition metals and oxides
of aluminium using the conventional surface modification techniques such as high
energy laser melt treatment, high energy electron beam irradiation and thermal spray
process which are basically fusion processes. These techniques yield the fusion
related problems, such as interfacial reaction, pin holes, shrinkage cavities or voids
and other casting related defects, and pave the way to need of an efficient technique
which must be based on solid state. FSP is a solid state technique where a rotating
tool consisting of a shoulder and a pin enters the substrate and moves with steady
rotational and traverse speeds in the desired direction. The tool serves two primary
functions of heating and deformation of work-piece material [2]. The heating is
produced mainly by the friction of the rotating shoulder with the work-piece, while
the rotating probe or pin deforms or stirs the locally heated material. The heated

S. Pradeep Devaneyan (&)

School of Mechanical and Building Sciences, Christ College
of Engineering and Technology, Puducherry, India
e-mail: pr.signs@gmail.com
D. Peter Pushpanathan
A. Parambath
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Christ College
of Engineering and Technology, Puducherry, India

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 421

K. Antony and J. P. Davim (eds.), Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Science,
Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76276-0_43