Optimization of tribological process parameters of titanium carbide reinforced copper matrix composites

Copper (Cu) matrix composites are developed by reinforcing Cu with Titanium Carbide (TiC) powder using the powder metallurgy (PM) method. Pin-on-disc tribo analysis is conducted to evaluate the tribological performance of the developed composites. Moreover, the influence of different parameters such as, concentration (wt.%) of TiC, applied load, sliding velocity and sliding distance on the wear rate and friction coefficient are studied using Taguchi L16 orthogonal array. The main effect plot reveals that the lowest wear rate is obtained at 12 wt.% of TiC, 10 N applied load, 4 m/s sliding velocity and 1750 m sliding distance. Similarly, the lowest friction coefficient is attained at 12 wt.% of TiC, 10 N applied load, 4 m/s sliding velocity and 750 m sliding distance. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results shows that the wt.% of TiC powder is a more noteworthy parameter for obtaining the lowest wear rate and friction coefficient with a contribution of 94.54% and 94.17%, respectively. A regression model is also developed to predict the friction coefficient and wear rate for the developed composites.