Investigating the effect of additive Al2O3 powder on hybrid metal matrix composites in electrochemical machining with nanotechnology enhancement

Abstract

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are fabricated using an advanced technique known as electrochemical fabrication (ECM). This paper investigates the feasibility of fabricating aluminum alloy 6063 reinforced with silicon carbide (SIC) and boron carbide (B4C) in metal composites in the presence of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), and examines the effects of applied voltage, electrolyte concentration, and metal rotation speed on the metal removal rate (MRR). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the most significant factor is electrolyte concentration, followed by the applied voltage. The camshaft speed is the least influential factor, with the maximum metal removal rate reaching 77.45 mg/sec. The addition of alumina (Al₂O₃) resulted in a slight improvement in the metal removal rate, reaching 77.89 mg/sec. These results indicate that the presence of alumina particles enhances the performance of the electrochemical process. This paper presents a statistically proven optimization strategy for aerospace and automotive applications. Furthermore, the incorporation of Al₂O₃ particles can be interpreted from a nanotechnology perspective, where nanoscale reinforcement enhances electrochemical interactions, improves ion transport, and promotes more efficient material removal. This nano-enhanced approach contributes to improved machining performance and opens new opportunities for advanced manufacturing applications.