Effect of multiple passes on the properties of Al-5052/SiC surface composites fabricated via friction stir processing

Friction stir processing (FSP) has emerged as a promising technique for producing surface composites with enhanced mechanical, microstructural and tribological properties. This work investigates the influence of multi-pass FSP on various properties of aluminium 5052 alloy reinforced with silicon carbide (Al-5052/SiC). The results indicated that multi-pass FSP effectively dispersed SiC particles within the aluminium matrix, resulting in a refined microstructure and improved mechanical properties. As the number of FSP passes increased, hardness, tensile strength, and wear resistance improved, reaching levels significantly higher than the base Al-5052 alloy. Tensile strength, yield strength, and average microhardness in the five-pass FSPed specimen were improved by about 25 %, 26 %, and 28 % respectively. Wear and corrosion resistance improved with the increase of FSP passes. The quantitative results of the study strongly corroborate with microstructural evolution.