M. Abdulwahab

Effect of load on the wear behaviour of polypropylene/carbonized bone ash particulate composite

Abstract The effect of applied load on the wear behaviour of polymer matrix composites produced using carbonized bone particles (CBp) as reinforcement has been studied. The addition of the CBp ranges from 5 to 20 wt% in the polypropylene matrix. The composites were produced by compounding and compressive moulding. The wear test was conducted by varying the applied load from 5 to 15 N. Microstructures of the worn surface were assessed with high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM/EDS). The wear rate increased with increases in applied load from 5 to 15 N and decreased with increasing in CBp from 0 to 15 wt%. The work has established that carbonized bone can be use in increasing the wear resistance of polypropylene composites.

Effect of Avogadro Oil as Corrosion Inhibitor of Thermally Pre-aged Al-Si-Mg Alloy in Sodium Chloride Solution

The corrosion inhibition of thermally pre-aged Aluminium-Silicon-Magnesium (Al-Si-Mg) alloy in 3.5 % NaCl solution with natural Avogadro oil of varying concentrations has been studied using linear polarization techniques. From the results obtained, the corrosion rate decreased with an increase in Avogadro oil concentration. An inhibitor efficiency of 46.7, 58 and 71 % were obtained at 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 g/v Avogadro oil addition in a 3.5 % NaCl solution respectively for the conventional alloy. Results from the linear polarization technique indicate a higher potential value with an increase in the polarization resistance (Rp) and lower current density in the inhibited samples than the uninhibited Al-Si-Mg alloy as obtained from the Tafel plot extrapolation. There exist some levels of correlation in the inhibitor efficiency between the conventional and the thermally pre-aged Al-Si-Mg alloy/Avogadro oil in 3.5 % NaCl solution.

Experimental Study of the Effect of Siliconizing Parameters of Thermochemical Treatment of low Carbon Steel

In order to use minimum time and save energy during siliconizing surface hardening of low carbon steel it is important to study the siliconizing parameters to obtain optimum conditions. In this work, the experimental design using the Taguchi method is employed to optimize the siliconizing parameters in the pack siliconizing surface hardening process. The siliconizing parameters evaluated are: siliconizing temperature, siliconizing time, silicon potential (ratio of silicon powder to bean pod ash (BPA) nanoparticle) and tempering temperature. The results showed that case depth and hardness values increased exponentially by increasing siliconizing temperature and time. Optimum values of hardness were obtained at a siliconizing temperature of 1000 ∘C, siliconizing time of 5 hours, silicon potential of 75 wt.% silicon/25 wt.% BPA and tempering temperature of 200 ∘C. With percentage contribution of: siliconizing temperature (79.86 %), siliconizing time (12.54 %), silicon potential (5.34 %) and tempering temperature (2.26 %). Silicon powder and bean pod ash nanoparticles can be effective for use as siliconizing materials in the ratio of 75 wt.% silicon/25 wt.% BPA. The activation energy (Q) for research work was determined as 333.89 kJ.mol−1. The growth rate constant (K) ranged from 6.78×10−8 to 2.05×10−6 m2.s−1. The case depth, hardness values and wear rate of siliconized mild steel at these operating conditions can be used for technological and industrial applications such as gears and cams.