International Journal of Advanced Technology and Engineering Exploration, Vol 8(78) ISSN (Print): 2394-5443 ISSN (Online): 2394-7454 http://dx.doi.org/10.19101/IJATEE.2021.874038 643 Mechanical and metallurgical studies of multi-walled carbon nanotube – reinforced aluminium metal matrix surface composite by friction stir processing R. Raja * , Sabitha Jannet and S. Rajesh Ruban Assistant Professor, Mechanical Department, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore-641114, Tamil Nadu, India Received: 01-March-2021; Revised: 15-May-2021; Accepted: 17-M ay-2021 ©2021 R. Raja et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 1.Introduction Aluminum alloys play a major role in the aircraft, shipbuilding, and automotive industries because of their superior strength-to-weight ratio. The aluminum alloy 5083 0 has been used in the shipbuilding industry due to its corrosion resistance properties wants is a nanoparticle that has unique properties based on its structure . Moreover, the presence of carbon results in a very high wear resistance. Its high tensile strength along with its good electrical properties makes it a desirable reinforcement for aluminum alloys. Friction stir processing is a solid- state processing technology that has acquired significant attention in recent years because of the solid-state processing wherein the mixing of materials takes place in the plastic state. This removes the disadvantages of liquid-state processing such as casting, which occurs in high temperatures and leads to various defects, in turn reducing the strength of the composites. These were the motivation behind the current study. In the present study, MWCNTs were reinforced in the magnesium-based aluminum alloy 5083 0. This study exploits the presence of carbon as a self-lubricating feature. *Author for correspondence The following are the objectives of this study:  To reinforce multiwalled carbon nanotubes in an aluminum matrix by friction stir processing.  To test the fabricated surface aluminum nanocomposites for various mechanical and wear properties.  To evaluate the microstructure of the fabricated composite. 2.Literature review Presently, a significant attention is being to the influence of the mixing technique on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The chemical and thermal stability properties of CNTs and their high yield strength and elastic modulus make them the best option for reinforcement. The AZ31 aluminum alloy reinforced with CNTs exhibited a significant increase in wear compared to the currently available alloys [1]. Addition of 2.0 wt% of CNTs to the 2024 aluminum alloy led to a considerable grain refinement, but shortening of CNTs occurred during the ball-milling process [2]. Independently reinforced n-Al2O3 composites showed a lower wear rate than independently reinforced CNTs; however, its coefficient was higher [3]. In additive metallurgy, dispersion led to a better and uniform dispersion than in ball milling [4]. The maximum tensile strength was achieved with a 75/25 volume ratio of CNTs and cerium oxide [5]. The CNTs Research Article Abstract The aluminum alloy 5083 was reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by using friction stir processing (FSP). Different MWCNT volume percentages of 0, 6.06, 12.12, and 18.18% were reinforced into the 5083 aluminium metal matrix. Tensile tests were carried out, and a 24% increase was achieved with 12.12% MWCNTs. Hardness was obtained within the stir zone with the 6.06% of MWCNTs. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed the breakdown of MWCNTs, thus leading to uniform dispersion. Wear rate decreased by 18% with an increase in MWCNTs. Keywords Multi-walled carbon nanotubes, SEM, Wear rate, Tensile strength, FSP.