Surface composites

The addition of reinforcement into the surface instead of bulk improves mechanical properties and boosts the surface properties of the composite. Friction stir processing (FSP) is a solid-state processing route for the fabrication of surface composite. Compared to the conventional liquid state processing route, the FSP is a compatible and energy-efficient process for fabricating surface composites. The FSP is a variant of the friction stir welding (FSW) process, carried out at a lower temperature than the base metal’s melting temperature. The surface composite preparation through FSP imparts minimal thermal effect on the processed material. Aluminium surface composites by FSP exhibit improved surface properties of the Al-base alloy.

Our research work is on the preparation and characterisation of Al-metal matrix surface composites through friction stir processing. The correlation between the process parameters and surface properties enhancement is the primary objective of this research.

Corrosion studies

Corrosion is an unavoidable phenomenon, and it is present everywhere. It is a material degradation process. Electrochemical analysis of the material is done to estimate the corrosion rate of a material. A potentiostat is a device that is used to analyse the electrochemical behaviour of the materials. Potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), polarization resistance (Rp), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic polarization (CP) are some of the standard methods which are used to measure the corrosion rate. These methods are much more accurate and provide precise results compared to conventional weight loss measurement techniques. This technique is faster and helps to understand the different corrosion phenomena happening on the material surface.

Our research is focused on the analysis and prevention of corrosion of the aluminium alloys and aluminium metal matrix surface composite.