Rare-earth-engineered Al/B ₄ C-La ₂ O ₃ hybrid composites: Wear and mechanical performance fabricated via stir casting

Aluminum metal-matrix composites are globally recognized for their potential engineering applications owing to its light weight and high strength-to-weight ratio. In the current study, Al7075 alloy was reinforced with lanthanum oxide (La 2 O 3 ) at 0.5, 1, and 1.5 wt.% and boron carbide (B 4 C) at 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 wt.% to explore the influence of varying reinforcement wt.% on tensile strength, wear resistance, and hardness of hybrid composites. The hybrid composites were fabricated using the stir casting technique. The mechanical testing reveals the enhancement in ultimate tensile strength (264 MPa) and microhardness (168.7 HV). The percentage elongation of hybrid composites lies between 14.45% and 18.44%. The microstructure, phase evolution, and agglomeration were analyzed. The pin-on-disc method is used to evaluate the wear under dry sliding conditions. Scanning electron microscopy analysis and X-ray diffraction results confirm the improvement in tensile strength, percentage elongation, hardness, and wear resistance of hybrid composites fabricated with characteristic microstructural features.