Statistical evaluation of solid particle erosion behaviour of aluminium matrix composites reinforced with rice husk derived silicon based refractory compounds

A silicon-based refractory compound (SiRC) derived from rice husk was utilized as a sustainable reinforcement for fabricating AlSi10Mg composites through the powder metallurgy route. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of Al, Si, MgO, and SiO 2 phases, while SEM–EDS revealed a uniform distribution of SiRC particles and strong interfacial bonding. The composite density decreased from 2.61 g/cm 3 to 2.32 g/cm 3 at 9 wt.% SiRC, accompanied by a 26% increase in hardness attributed to the hard ceramic phases and grain refinement. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to model and optimize erosive wear performance by considering impingement angle, impact velocity, and reinforcement content. The quadratic regression model exhibited an excellent fit (R 2 = 0.9976), and ANOVA identified impact velocity as the most influential factor. The optimized parameters 90° impingement angle, 40 m/s velocity, and 6 wt.% SiRC yielded a minimum erosion rate of 14.13 mg/kg with a deviation of only 0.91%, validating the model’s accuracy and demonstrating the enhanced erosion resistance of the developed composites.