Mixture DoE: A strategic approach for multi-response optimization of AA1100 metal-matrix hybrid composites Bikram Jit Singh ⇑ , Gourav Kalra Mechanical Engineering Department, Maharishi Markandeshwar Deemed to be University, Mullana, 133207 Ambala, India article info Article history: Received 28 December 2020 Received in revised form 20 March 2021 Accepted 4 September 2021 Available online xxxx Keywords: Automotive body material XRD Design of experiments Contour plots Response optimizer t-Test abstract Aluminum 1100 Metal-Matrix Hybrid Composites (AA1100 MMHCs) are the materials with uncommon properties and possessing exceptional design potentials. The current study aims to optimize Mechanical Properties of AA1100 MMHCs, so that strong but light weight chassis or cabins of vehicles can be manufactured. Stir Casting Technique was employed to amalgamate AA1100 MMHC. Compositional Parameters (like Percentage of AA1100 alloy, Si, Cu and Mg) and Process Parameter (i.e. Stirring Time) were designed to vary between their upper and lower permissible limits. Mixture Design of Experiment (DoE), an optimization technique was utilized to analyze the designed experiments through Minitab 18 Software. Fabricated experiments were performed and resultants Mechanical Responses (Compressive Strength and Hardness) were observed. SEM and XRD Tests were conducted to monitor the Microstructure and Particle Size, respectively. These structural-characteristics have signif- icant impact on Mechanical Properties under consideration. Copyright Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2nd International Con- ference on Functional Material, Manufacturing and Performances 1. Introduction Composites are the modern materials that have intervened almost in all industries, where weight of product is a critical to per- formance metric [1]. Whether its aerospace or automobile indus- try, composites are designer’s unanimous choice, as it has desired mechanical properties like strength, hardness and manufacturabil- ity [2]. In developing countries, Lightweight metal alloys have gen- erally been used to fabricate automobile bodies, which have relatively limited chance to clear ‘Crushing-Test’ due to low strength and rigidity [3]. In general, during the performance of this test, certain properties of the alloy being used for making the body, such as the Compressive Strength, Hardness, Grain Size and Micro- structure, are extremely crucial. While manufacturing a hatch back car, Compressive Strength must lie within a certain range i.e. 170 MPa to 310 Mpa and the Hardness should be between 80 HV to 120 HV [4]. For achieving these objectives, current research has been carried out on ‘Metal-Matrix Hybrid Composites (MMHC)’ to increase the mechanical properties by toting innumerable rein- forcements. MMHC is designed to combine metal/alloy (as a matrix) and hard particles/ceramics (as reinforcements) with the desired properties. During this study, seldom used aluminum alloy ’AA1100 0 doped with different percentages of Si, Cu and Mg parti- cles was used to create an AA1100 MMHC with enough Mechanical and Micro-structural Properties. The Car weight is a critical factor that not only effect perfor- mance while crushing test, but it also impacts the overall mileage of the vehicle. So a new lighter and strength full material is the need of hour. This could be possible through Aluminum MMHC. So far, the majority of the aluminum alloys selected as matrices are alloys of the series A356, 2000, 5000 and 6000 [5]. Very few studies have been published on silicone, copper and magnesium- reinforced alloys of the AA1100 series [6]. In this study, a metal hybrid composite has been prepared by Stir Casting process. It is most simple and cost effective process to manufacture MMHC, in which mechanical stirring is used to mix dispersed phase (rein- forcements) with a molten matrix metal [7]. Thereafter, conven- tional methods are used to cast the liquid composite material which is further processed by conventional metal forming tech- nologies [8]. By reducing weight the mileage of car will be directly enhanced which will in turn benefit the customer. The improved machinability and formability of car body material will help the https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.09.057 2214-7853/Copyright Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2nd International Conference on Functional Material, Manufacturing and Performances ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: chann461@yahoo.com (B.J. Singh). Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Materials Today: Proceedings journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr Please cite this article as: Bikram Jit Singh and G. Kalra, Mixture DoE: A strategic approach for multi-response optimization of AA1100 metal-matrix hybrid composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.09.057