Comparison of pure Cu and Cu friction stirred with W and Gr reinforcements for wear strength and hardness under its varying parameters maintaining low electrical resistivity

The hardness of the Cu-W and Cu-Gr composites increased by 130% and 64%, respectively. The electrical resistivity was still low in spite of mechanical advancements. • Purpose: By strengthening pure copper with tungsten and graphene, its mechanical performance will be enhanced. • Issues: Although pure copper has good electrical conductivity, it lacks mechanical strength and wear resistance. • Methodology: Single-pass FSP is used on surface composites of Cu mixed with graphite and tungsten nanoparticles, as well as commercial pure copper. • Results: The stir zone’s reinforcement was dispersed evenly. • There was a 58% improvement in wear resistance and an 85% increase in hardness. • A little rise in electrical resistance was noted. High electrical conductivity materials like copper (Cu) are utilized for resistance welding electrodes and heavy-duty electrical connections, among other things. It is not appropriate for applications requiring high strength and strong wear resistance because of its low mechanical and wear qualities. The study sought to increase Cu’s surface wear resistance and hardness by reinforcing Tungsten (W) and Graphene (Gr) particles by maintaining low electrical resistivity utilizing friction stir processing (FSP) by altering the tool’s traverse speed (TS). To optimize the process parameters, with groove breadth (GB), TS and volume (Vf) % of reinforcement (W, Gr) being the selected parameters. The optical micrographs demonstrated that reinforcement was equally distributed across the treated zone, resulting in an 85% greater hardness than the base metal. Commercial pure Cu was first treated at one rotating speed and different GB, TS and %Vf using single pass FSP. FSP increased wear resistance and hardness by 58%, while there was a minor decline in electrical resistivity (2.3% Ωm) at the 900 rpm–150 mm/min speed, Using single pass FSP, copper-tungsten (Cu-W) and copper-graphene (Cu-Gr) composites were made in the second phase to create Cu surface composites with good electrical resistivity and strength. Cu-W and Cu-Gr composites showed 130% and 64% increases in hardness. The composites’ wear rate was reduced yet their electrical resistivity (3.3% Ωm) was simply pacified by rise.