Additive manufacturing of hybrid ZrO2–SiC aluminum nanocomposites via a novel WAAM–FSP hybrid method

Aluminum hybrid nanocomposites are valued in automotive and marine applications due to their high strength, low weight, and strong wear and corrosion resistance. In this study, AA5183-based hybrid nanocomposites were fabricated using a combined Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and Friction Stir Processing (FSP) approach. A thin wall was fabricated via the WAAM process and reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) and zirconia (ZrO 2 ) nanoparticles via multi-pass FSP. Microstructural examination was conducted utilizing an optical microscope, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Mechanical properties, including microhardness, tribological features (pin-on-disk test), and corrosion behavior (electrochemical polarization), were analyzed. The findings indicated that four passes of FSP diminished the grain size to 3.2 μm, achieving a 92% reduction relative to the raw sample. Furthermore, augmenting the number of passes led to an 81% decrease in agglomerative clusters relative to the single-pass sample. The hardness of the four-pass sample rose to 112 HV, corresponding to an enhancement of about 96% relative to the raw material (57 HV). While the friction coefficient and wear rate diminished to 0.35 and 2.7×10 -4 mm 3 /N·m, respectively. The four-pass sample exhibited the lowest corrosion rate of 0.17 .