International Journal of Modern Engineering and Management

Mechanical, Tribological and Thermal Characterisation of Aluminium 6061 Matrix Composites Reinforced with Graphene Nanoplatelets Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy

Author(s):

Rajesh Kumar, Suresh Patel, Anupama S.

Affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, Rajasthan, India India³School of Mechanical Engineering, MATS University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

Page No: 27-33-

Volume issue & Publishing Year: Volume 3, Issue 5, 2026/05/09

Journal: International Journal of Modern Engineering and Management | IJMEM

ISSN NO: 3048-8230

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20426389

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Abstract:

lightweight structural and functional materials for aerospace, automotive, and electronic packaging applications, offering the possibility of simultaneously tailoring mechanical, tribological, and thermal properties within a single material system. This study investigates the processing-structure-property relationships in AA6061 aluminium alloy matrix composites reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) at weight fractions of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 wt%, fabricated by a powder metallurgy route involving ball milling and uniaxial hot-pressing at 550°C. The effects of GNP content on microstructure (SEM, XRD, EDS), density, tensile strength, Vickers hardness, dry sliding wear behaviour (pin-on-disc at 10– 50 N loads), coefficient of friction, thermal conductivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion (27–400°C) are systematically characterised and discussed in terms of GNP–matrix interfacial bonding, dispersion homogeneity, and load-transfer efficiency. The AA6061 + 0.5 wt% GNP composite achieves the optimal balance across all property domains: ultimate tensile strength of 281 MPa (34% improvement over unreinforced AA6061), Vickers hardness of 117 HV (33% improvement), wear rate of 0.97 × 10⁻³ mm³/m at 30 N (50% reduction), coefficient of friction of 0.37 (34% reduction), thermal conductivity of 178 W/m·K (15% improvement), and CTE of 21.7 × 10⁻⁶ /°C (6% reduction). Beyond 0.5 wt%, GNP agglomeration—confirmed by SEM and evidenced by declining density and mechanical properties—reduces reinforcement efficiency, establishing 0.5 wt% as the percolation-limited optimum for this processing route

Keywords:

aluminium matrix composite, graphene nanoplatelet, powder metallurgy, mechanical properties, tribology, thermal conductivity, AA6061

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