Effect of Hybridizing and Optimization of TiC on the Tribological Behavior of Mg–MoS₂ Composites

In the present study, the effects of TiC content on the microstructure, hardness, and wear property are to be investigated. Magnesium matrix hybrid composites reinforced with varying wt.% of TiC (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20) and a fixed wt.% of MoS₂ (7.5) were produced by powder metallurgy. The microstructure of the hybrid composite samples was analyzed using optical microscopy. Elemental composition of sintered specimens was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The Vicker's hardness test was performed in different locations on the sintered specimen surface with a load of 5 g and 15 s dwell time. The dry sliding wear test was carried out in a pin-on-disk wear testing machine at various load (5–30 N), velocity (0.5–3 m/s), and sliding distance (500–3000 m). Tribological investigation was statistically analyzed using Taguchi L27 orthogonal array with four factors at three levels. A graphical and numerical optimization technique was used to find the optimum value of TiC content using the predicted value of the responses. The tribological properties of the fabricated composites improved significantly compared to that of the magnesium matrix due to the combined effect obtainable by both reinforcements.