VIBRATIONAL ANALYSIS OF ALUMINIUM 6061 MATRIX COMPOSITE

Abstract

The present study deals with the fabrication of aluminium 6061–alumina 8% vol. composite shaft by optimized stir casting manufacturing process. The properties of the composite being formed is computationally calculated by the Digimat-MF software. Shafts demand variable loading conditions in the applications and thus its vibrational study becomes vital. In this study, analysis of static and dynamic vibrational characteristics and its comparison of the conventional with the shaft have been carried out. Damping property is the basic form, which shows the vibrational characteristics of a component and its ability to overcome the vibrational problem , thus statically, the damping ratio is calculated and at a given excitation frequency, the critical speed of shaft obtained is compared with the experimentally obtained transverse frequency. Finite element modal analysis of shafts is done with the help of Ansys with the prescribed condition of bearing and damped conditions. Campbell diagram is plotted in respect to observe different mode shapes and its comparison is done for both the shafts. Composites are generally used in making drive shafts of the automobiles as better mechanical properties with reduced weight and high specific modulus is obtained. The results showed that the Aluminium 6061 composite rotor is depicts better vibrational characteristics as enhanced natural frequency is achieved along with its damping factor.