Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-

squeeze casting of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites
T. Adithiyaa a,⇑, D. Chandramohan a, T. Sathish b
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Peter’s Institute of Higher Education and Research, Avadi, Chennai 600 054, Tamil Nadu, India
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, SMR East Coast College of Engineering and Technology, Thanjavur 614 612, Tamil Nadu, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Rapid globalization and demand for the advanced material, hybrid materials are possessing an up mar-
Received 4 September 2019 keted strategy in the field of material research. Due to the demand for lightweight and strong nature
Accepted 1 October 2019 of materials, aluminium is considered as largely utilized material for manufacturing components in
Available online xxxx
industrial and other manufacturing sectors. However, aluminium materials are being researched through
the decades for improvising the mechanical properties. Therefore, hybrid matrix composites are intro-
Keywords: duced to improve the mechanical properties by the addition of reinforcements. One of the recent
Hybrid metal matrix
advancements in hybrid metal composites is the introduction of nanoparticles in the composition mix-
Aluminium alloy 2219
Titanium carbide
ture. In this research work, an aluminium hybrid metal matrix composite is prepared by the nano rein-
Aluminium oxide forcement particles. Aluminium is considered to be an efficient element for manufacturing and numerous
Silicon nitride level of hybridization is carried out in the metal processing. In this current research work, aluminium
Stirring-squeeze casting process alloy 2219 is hybridized with nanoparticles of Titanium Carbide, Aluminium Oxide and Silicon Nitride
Universal testing machine with the proportion of 94% of the primary material with 6% of reinforcement material. The reinforce-
Brinell hardness and impact energy ments are fabricated by the conventional processing of advanced method of casting process namely
K-nearest neighbour (KNN) stirring-squeeze casting process for manufacturing the proposed reinforced material. The advantage of
Grey wolf optimization (GWO)
this squeeze casting process, it can limit the defects than conventional casting process. The fabrication
process develops eight sets of cylindrical specimens of dimension 50
150 mm for testing under varied
melt and die temperatures which are maintained at 800 °C and 400 °C and squeeze pressure of 100 Mpa
during each level of fabrication. Mechanical testing is carried out after the fabrication process and tested
the properties of prepared specimens under loading conditions. Tensile testing and hardness of the mate-
rial are tested on universal testing machine and Brinell hardness with intender ball of 5 mm diameter
under 250 kg loading condition. The statistical method of analysis is one of the easiest way analysis
the error rate of the result obtained in the experimentation through machine learning process.
Therefore, this research develops a statistical analysis method for optimizing the process parameters
for better improvement in mechanical properties. The K-nearest neighbour (KNN) and grey wolf opti-
mization (GWO) are proposed for optimizing the process parameters of stirring-squeeze casting process.
Conclusively, the result concludes with a comparative study of experimental and predicted outcomes.
From the result of comparison, the proposed composition of material has highest level of mechanical
properties for manufacturing components in a real-time scenario respectively.
Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Recent
Trends in Nanomaterials for Energy, Environmental and Engineering Applications.

1. Introduction manufacturing of components in automobiles, locomotives, and

Casting is a conventional technology employed in manufactur-
ing attract most of the interest in engineered structures and in
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: adithiyaa7851@gmail.com (T. Adithiyaa).
aviation. Hybrid materials are composites consisting of two con-
stituents at the nanometre or molecular level. Commonly one of
these compounds is inorganic and the other one organic in nature
[1]. Thus, they differ from traditional composites where the con-
stituents are at the macroscopic level. Mixing at the microscopic
scale leads to a more homogeneous material that either show char-

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Recent Trends in Nanomaterials for Energy, Environmental and Engineering
Applications.

Please cite this article as: T. Adithiyaa, D. Chandramohan and T. Sathish, Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-squeeze cast-
ing of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
2 T. Adithiyaa et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
acteristics in between the two original phases or even new proper-
ties [2]. Several methods are employed in the manufacturing of
MMCs. Stir casting is considered as a very popular method due to
its unique features. In Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs), the
ceramic reinforcements are generally oxides or carbides or borides
such as Al2O3, TiB2, TiO2, SiC, TiC, B4C, etc [3]. The processes root of
manufacturing, shape, size, and chemical affinity with a matrix
material of reinforcement materials influence their microstructure,
physical properties, tribological properties and other desirable
properties of the composite [4].
Substantial progress in the development of MMCs has been
achieved in recent years so that they could be introduced into
the very important applications [5]. But designing the desirable
attributes of metals and ceramics in the MMC determining the
specific area where the optimum property of composites could
be applied [6]. The use of MMCs in industrial applications is limited
by the difficulties associated with creating the MMCs [7]. With the
evolution of metal matrix composite in research, newer technolog-
ical advancements are made for improvising the safety and proper-
ties of the materials [8]. With numerous levels of reinforcing
materials in the aluminium metal matrix, nanoparticles are one
of the recent advancements [9]. Introduction of nano additives as
the primary reinforcements, the metal matrix can achieve a higher
level of property improvement. It is hard to obtain a defect-free
composite by using conventional casting methods [10]. Hence,
the squeeze casting process is used to solve this problem. Due to
the high material property, these techniques are vastly employed
for manufacturing. Squeeze casting is utilized in manufacturing
to obtain very fine grain structure of components with higher
mechanical property than traditional casting techniques. The
casted material has a correlation between the microstructure and
property when considered in terms of fatigue. However researches
have been undergone to evaluate the fatigue of cast aluminium
alloys when subjected to the casting process, but the research on
fatigue property in squeeze casting is limited. The fatigue
microstructure of squeeze casting in aluminium alloy brings about
understanding and importance to the manufacturing of aluminium
composites. Aluminium metal matrix composite is widely accepted
material in the field of manufacturing due to its mechanical prop-
erties in machining. The aluminium matrix is squeeze casting pos-
sess the optimal mechanical property of material but somehow
some failures occur such as porosity, cracks during machining. This
casting generally has undergone low velocity for die filling with
high pressure for obtaining a good quality product. The tempera-
ture employed during casting process can affect the property of
the casted composite material [11]. Casted aluminium composites
have a widespread application in mechanical components such as
in the field of automobiles, aviation due to high casting property,
and resistance to corrosion and so on [12]. The casted alloys are
more optimal than machined alloys and it shows the casting pro-
cess is more economic in the production process [13].
The quality of the composite produced depends on the various
process parameters such as pressure, temperature, etc. The effect
of casting parameters on the material flow behaviour, microstruc-
ture formation and mechanical properties of squeeze casting has to
be determined and fully specified for any application. This is possi-
ble through empirical, analytical or numerical methods. Present-
day computing facilities enable the easy modelling of any process
or physical phenomena [14]. The machine learning process is one
of the advanced methods for solving complex optimization prob-
lems. Utilization of this methodology an efficient parametric opti-
mization process is employed for advanced evaluation progress
with time consumption. For that scenario, this research work uti-
lizes the grey wolf optimization algorithm, a bio-inspired algo-
rithm coupled with a most popular prediction based classifier
named as KNN algorithm for categorizing data with existing pro-
Please cite this article as: T. Adithiyaa, D. Chandramohan and T. Sathish, Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-squeeze cast-
ing of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
cessed datasets [15]. Generally, KNN utilizes numerous sets of
nearest neighbour for the processing. The KNN searches a match-
ing nearest neighbour by using the data pre-processed and these
data are utilized for the prediction process [16]. The effectiveness
of the prediction process can be actualized with the experimental
data for validating the amount of effectiveness of properties mea-
sured through the optimization process in estimated respectively.
2. Literature survey
Current development in the field of science and technology
demands the development of advanced engineering materials for
various engineering applications, especially in the field of trans-
portation, aerospace, and military engineering-related areas. This
area demands lightweight high strength having good tribological
properties. Such demands can only be met by the development
and processing of aluminium metal composite materials. Alu-
minium metal matrix is one of the innovative materials which
found to be extensive material in applications such as vehicles
and aviation due to its advanced features such as highly flexible
and strong. In [17] investigate by optimizing the process parame-
ters in squeeze casting process for improving the mechanical and
microstructural characteristics of Al 6061-SiC composite. The pro-
cess parameters are examined by the response surface methodol-
ogy, where the effect of squeeze pressure, melt temperature, and
SiC reinforcement was analyzed. The result indicates that a signif-
icant improvement is obtained on the tensile strength, hardness,
and % of elongation respectively.
Generally, MMC is made by various constituents of composites
which are in differ from its chemical or physical phases. In [18] uti-
lized ANFIS-PSO methodology to optimize the process parameters
in compo cast processing. This optimized process of electromag-
netic stirring is used to produce the aluminium matrix composites
with improved wear resistance. An intelligent method namely par-
ticle swarm optimization is used in this work to predict the opti-
mal performance of the aluminium matrix. In [19] examined the
metallurgical and mechanical properties of squeeze casting the
Al-Si based composites manufactured with various blends of Ni
and nano-Al2O3 particles. A blend of Ni and nano-Al2O3 particles
of various proportions were added to the molten Al-Si piston com-
posite at 700C and mixed under pressure. After the casting process,
the microstructure and the distribution of molecule inside the
framework have been explored utilizing optical and scanning elec-
tron microscope. Besides, the hardness and the ductile properties
of the resulted Al-base-nano-composites were assessed at room
temperature by utilizing Vickers hardness and universal tensile
testing respectively, separately. The expansion of Ni particles to
the Al-Si base metal can enhance the malleability to sensible qual-
ities. At the point when the addition of nano Al2O3 particles
improves the malleability of the material.
In [20] utilized a combination of the stir-squeeze casting
method for fabricating the A6082-ZrO2-SiC hybrid metal matrix
composite. The experimentation is carried out to investigate the
fine grain on the base alloy and hybrid composites in the
microstructure analysis. The squeeze casting process is one of the
very special casting technique in which the solidification process
is carried out under high pressure with a reusable die. This process
is generally used for fabrication high impacted and precise compo-
nents. Al-Cu-based alloys are a series of high malleable, tough and
flexible material largely used in industrial applications. In [21]
develop a novel composite based on the Al-Cu alloy is processed
in squeeze casting process and its properties on casting process
are studied. After the experimentation process, the investigation
was carried out to analyze the effect of pressure on casting process
influence the microstructure of the alloys.
 T. Adithiyaa et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 3

Casting is considered to be the easiest and economic way of fab- In this research, the conventional stirring and squeeze casting
ricating the metal matrix composites. However, some of the cast- method are implemented for fabricating AA2219 + TiC + Al2O3 + -
ing processes will affect the material which results in defect in Si3N4 composite. The workflow of the preparation of proposed
molding, porosity, etc. Squeeze casting will remove the defects composite mixture is explained in Fig. 1. The experiments are con-
and optimize the input process parameters. In [22] propose Tagu- ducted on the stirring-squeeze casting process and tested the
chi method to optimize the process parameters in squeeze casting mechanical properties of the fabricated composite. Additionally, a
process for improving the mechanical properties. The design of machine learning algorithm is proposed in this paper to validate
experiments is conducted by L16 orthogonal array considering the experimental results with an optimal prediction process. This
four-factor level. Numerous other liquid state processing is utilized research suggests an algorithmic streamlining process for the
for developing AMMCs, while the stir casting process is most approval of experimentation to an extreme limit in the form of
recent and established one. This casting process is less expensive prediction-optimization. The developed method comprises K-
than all methods and more reliable for casting composite materi- Nearest Neighbour (KNN) and grey wolf optimization algorithm
als. Also it will offer an option for condition selection and process- for predicting the mechanical properties of squeeze casted com-
ing. Since the stir casting process produces high porosity to the posites by optimizing the process parameters. The algorithm is
casted material. To minimize these casting defects, stir casting is implemented by mathematically modelled on the Mat Lab and
combined with the squeeze casting process for better output. In optimize the parameters by iterating the model. The algorithm will
[23] propose a hybrid optimization method using analytical hierar- generate a stable conclusion of the optimized parameter which
chy process (AHP) combined with Taguchi-Grey relational results an optimal mechanical properties in terms of ultimate ten-
approach for optimizing the process parameters in squeeze casting sile strength, hardness and impact energy respectively.
process to develop aluminium metal matrix reinforced with alu-
mina for automotive brake disc application. In [24] developed a
hybrid optimization algorithm based on Grey wolf optimizer and
the Bees algorithm. The motive of developing this algorithm is
the fact, these algorithms are universally proven for solving com-
plex optimization problems. When comparing with other opti-
mization method, this algorithm is more versatile and has the
possibility to attain high accuracy without increasing the computa-
tional complexity. In the past few decades, the A.I models are
widely used in numerous fields for prediction. Comparing the per-
formance with other conventional methods, AI models are capable
of outperforming more optimistic than other methods. In [25]
developed a hybrid forecasting model based on Grey Wolf Opti-
mizer with ANFIS at a local sewer network station based on the
discharges of recorded influent. The results of this tested strategy,
the proposed hybrid models of ANFIS-GWO provide more reliable
forecasting accuracy of discharging wastewater influent. From
the above observation, this research motivates to develop a hybrid
metal matrix composites with reinforcing element in stirring-
squeeze casting process to evaluate the mechanical properties of
the specimen under tensile and hardness testing. The results from
the experimentation are optimized by the GWO-KNN and its effi-
ciencies are compared with the experimented data respectively.
The research paper is organized in the following section, the lit-
erature section is explained in section 2, the proposed methodol-
ogy of the research is explained in section 3, the experimental
setup and result discussion of the research is described in section
4 and 5 and finally the conclusion of the research is explained in
section 6 respectively.

3. Proposed methodology

The hybrid metal matrix is an advanced process of developing

metal matrix with a combination of more than one element to
form a new element. Numerous research advances have been car-
ried to develop an efficient metal matrix with the nano additives.
Casting is an effective way of developing metal matrix composites.
However, some the conventional casting process is not effective to
achieve the desired quality of the casted element. To resolve the
problem, squeeze casting is implemented to solve the problem in
casting process. Squeeze casting is one of the casting processes
for developing quality components and generally applies pressure
for solidifying the molten metal. This casting process offers a high
rate of thermal expansion of moulds and forms optimal quality and
surface finish at low operational cost. Fig. 1. Architecture of preparation of proposed metal matrix composites.

Please cite this article as: T. Adithiyaa, D. Chandramohan and T. Sathish, Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-squeeze cast-
ing of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
4 T. Adithiyaa et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

4. Material and experimentation
Selection of Material: In this experimentation, AA2219 is taken
as primary element having the density of 2.84 g/cm3 and titanium
carbide particles with a density of 4.93 g/cm3 are used as its pri-
mary reinforcement and material as Al2O3 and Si3N4 with the den-
sity of 3.95 g/cm3 and 3.17 g/cm3 are considered as secondary
reinforcement. Therefore, the reinforcement metal matrix compo-
sition is described in the following Table 1 respectively.
Experimentation: The experimentation is conducted on the
conventional process of stirring and squeeze the casting process
for fabricating the proposed metal matrix composites. The initial
mixing of the reinforcements is carried out in the graphite crucible
with an impeller. Height is a concerned factor in the impeller
design during the stirring process. When mixing the particulate
the impeller remains constant which is approximately one-third
of melt height to the crucible bottom. The aluminium alloy 2219
is melted on the crucible furnace at the temperature of 750 °C
and the reinforcing particles are heated for 2 h at a constant tem-
perature of 1000 °C. These heated reinforcing particles are added
to the melt and stirred it for about 10 min (see Table 2).
The proposed AA2219 + TiC + Al2O3 + Si3N4 composition was
then poured into the mould and preheat the composite to 400 °C.
A constant pressure of 100 MPa is maintained at the end of pouring
and punched by means of hydraulic press and this pressure level is
maintained at the end of the solidification process. The proposed
reinforced material fabricated as a cylindrical shape with a dimen-
sion of 50 mm in diameter and 150 mm in height. Additionally, a
set of 8 specimens is fabricated under various levels of melt tem-
perature in the ranges of 750, 800, 850 and 900 °C keeping the
die temperature constant at 400 °C. Also, for the secondary level
of testing, another 8 specimens are fabricated under varied die
temperatures of 250, 300, 350, 400 °C at constant melt tempera-
ture at 800 °C. For the entire fabrication of specimens, the pressure
of squeeze casting is maintained constant at 100 MPa respectively.
mation occur to limit the stress and failure rates formed on the
fabricated components. Testing of specimens after the fabrication
is the fundamental step of material processing. Initial testing of
the specimen initiates with the tensile and hardness testing pro-
cess and its effects on the casted specimen are evaluated from
the following sections as below.
Tensile Tests: The ultimate tensile strength is tested on the
material by dividing the cross-sectional area to the stress placed
on that material. These tests are generally conducted for evaluating
the material properties of fabricated material. The ultimate tensile
strength is tested on the material by dividing the cross-sectional
area to the stress placed on that material. In this research, the ten-
sile property of the specimen is tested by using the universal test-
ing machine made from Instron model 1195-5500R. The samples
fabricated from the casting process are tested under room
temperature.
Hardness Tests: Hardness testing is generally used for testing
the mechanical properties of the fabricated specimen under the
loading conditions. The Brinell hardness measurements are evalu-
ated on the Brinell hardness machine (Indentec) for the samples of
the dimension of 50
150 mm with an intender ball diameter of
5 mm is applied on the surface of the specimen at a load of
250 kg for time interval of 10 s. The maximum deflections at the
given loads for the samples are tabulated.
Impact Energy: The impact test is utilized in material process-
ing for determining the amount of fracture energy under test.
Under the laboratory condition, the impact testing is used to esti-
mate the fabricated material is capable of meet high durability and
flexible in developing components. Therefore, in this research the
impact energy of the casted specimen is tested for better durability
in developing materials is analyzed.
4.2. Statistical investigation for prediction of experimented results

A statistical investigation is carried out in this research work to

4.1. Mechanical testing of fabricated samples investigate the mechanical properties of the casted aluminium
metal matrix composites by the proposed GWO and KNN algo-
Material testing is generally considered for identifying the pos- rithm. The proposed algorithm will optimize the process parame-
sibilities and relationship between the acting forces and the defor- ters for predicting the tested properties of the casted material.

Table 1
Composition of proposed material matrix reinforcements.

Alloy AA 2519 Nano-Additive Material Composition

Primary Reinforcement Secondary Reinforcement
R-1 R-2
TiC Al2O3 Si3N4
Composition (%) 94 3 3 3

Table 2
Mechanical testing of reinforced metal matrix composites.

S. No Stirring Squeeze Casting UTS (MPa) Impact Hardness Density

Energy (J) (HB) (g/cm3)
Stirring Speed (rpm) Stirring Time (min) Feed Rate (g/s) Squeeze Pressure Die Temp. Melt Temp.
Test 1 500 10 0.9 100 400 750 134.75 4.05 80.75 2.84
600 15 1 100 400 800 159.75 4.50 85.32 2.84
700 16 1.5 100 400 850 174.00 4.86 89.22 2.84
800 18 1.8 100 400 900 159.50 4.25 82.92 2.84
2.84
Test 2 500 10 0.9 100 250 800 62.50 2.98 78.55 2.84
600 15 1 100 300 800 148.25 5.62 84.20 2.84
700 16 1.5 100 350 800 245.75 5.70 91.90 2.84
800 18 1.8 100 400 800 171.50 3.37 83.57 2.84

Please cite this article as: T. Adithiyaa, D. Chandramohan and T. Sathish, Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-squeeze cast-
ing of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
 T. Adithiyaa et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 5

The following section will describe the fundamental operation of classify between the KNN on prediction process. A similar distance
the algorithm modelled for the optimization process. can affect the query outcome and it can overcome by introducing
the weights W in the nearest neighbour based on query points.
4.2.1. K-Nearest neighbour Thus the weight can be induced by the following equation below.
KNN classification is a recently practiced method to analysis
expðDðz; qi ÞÞ
parametric estimation of unknown probabilities, which are diffi- W ðz; qi Þ ¼ Pk ð4Þ
cult to estimate. The K-nearest neighbour is deduced for classifying i¼1 expðDðz; qi ÞÞ

pattern, which has an idea about the k-nearest neighbour rule. By where Dðz; qi Þ is the distance metrics between the query point, z and
proposing a novel technique for classification which relies on dis- th
i case qi of existing data samples and weights defined in this man-
tance between the distributions. The concept of KNN is to classify
ner satisfy.
the individual data which contain majority of nearest neighbour.
Xk
The KNN consists of classifiers and regression for the prediction W ðZ 0 ; Z i Þ ¼ 1 ð5Þ
i¼1
process.
Classifier: The KNN classification is to identify and classify the Thus the solution for the regression problem is defined as
groups based on the characteristics of the data. The classification Xk
pattern is employed to learn the data processed earlier and to fore- g¼ i¼1
W ðZ 0 ; Z i Þg i ð6Þ
cast the cases performed. In this research, the classification is
s
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ffi
implemented to predict the microstructure and tensile fracture of
1 Xk 2
materials subjected to squeeze and die casting process. The data errbar ¼  ðg  g i Þ ð7Þ
k1 i¼1
were processed from the experimentation and tested in real-
world to design a classifier. The KNN classification is the simplest From the following equation below, the standard deviation in
form of classification than other classification techniques and con- the prediction of regression can be estimated. For the KNN classi-
sumes less knowledge for the data distribution. The training sets fication, the variable should be maximum for each equation above
are employed for classifying the relevant datasets at each query for each variable class.
characterized by common KNN in the training set. The classifier
is mainly identified the selection of K and the Euclidean distance 4.2.3. Enhanced grey wolf optimization (GWO)
metrics applied. Grey wolf optimizer (GWO) is a biologically inspired optimiza-
Regression: The regression in KNN utilizes the existing pro- tion method inspired by the natural behaviour of grey wolves. To
cessed data to predict the forthcoming data. The regression is gen- model the grey wolf as mathematically, the algorithm considers
erally processed with statistical techniques, for example, linear the fittest solution as the alpha ðaÞ, the second beta ðbÞ, and
regression. However, the linear regression technique is limited to third-best solutions delta ðdÞ respectively. The rest of the solution
some databases. The regression is implemented in this paper to to be omega ðxÞ.
forecast the microstructure and tensile fracture by associated
experimental data. The issue regards regression is concerned with
4.2.3.1. Attacking prey (Exploitation). The algorithm will finish the
the forecasting of the outcome of pre-processed variable with a
prey hunt behaviour of the grey wolf when it is not moved. In order
given independent variable set.
to model the algorithm, it will define prey behaviour which
If the KNN is processed with n number of nearest neighbour, !
decreases the value of a .
then the outcome can be written as G ¼ Gn . For the processing of
more than n number of the nearest neighbour. Then the outcome
is measured by taking the average of the outcomes. Then the solu- 4.2.3.2. Search for prey (Exploration). The prey searching is initiated
tion will be according to the defined position of alpha, beta, and delta. This
strategy will allow the grey wolf to search globally. Thus the hunt-
Gn ing behaviour of prey and its steps of hunting is explained in the
G¼ ð1Þ
2 given steps. The searching behaviour of the algorithm finds the
The prediction of KNN initiates the outcome of neighbour at best inputs for the optimization process.
that point. The prediction in KNN can be undergone by measuring
the Euclidean distance between the query and case point from the 4.2.3.3. Random walk based grey wolf optimization (RW-GWO). Ran-
existing data samples. dom Walk: It is a random process that uses consecutive steps
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi when executing a problem.
Dðz; qÞ ¼ ðz  qÞ2 ð2Þ XN
RN ¼ s
i¼1 i
ð8Þ
where z and q are the query and case points from the existing data
samples. where si are the random steps that can be from any random distri-
bution. This relationship shows that the next state W N is only
dependent on the current state W N1 and the step taken from cur-
4.2.2. K-Nearest neighbour predictions
rent state to the next state. The step size si can be fixed or can vary.
By selecting the K-value, the prediction initiates and the regres-
So, for a wolf starting with a point x0 suppose its final location is xN
sion probability is average for the K-nearest neighbour. Then the
then a random walk can also be defined as
outcome of the prediction can be evaluated form the following
equation below. XN
xn ¼ x0 þ i¼1
ai si ð9Þ
1 Xk
g¼ g
i¼1 i
ð3Þ where ai > 0 is a parameter that controls the step size si in each iter-
k
ation. The GWO starts with an initial population of inputs,
th
where g i is the i number of data samples and g is the outcome of xi ¼ ði ¼ 1; 2; :::; nÞ. Then the iteratively in each iteration a random
query point prediction. walk has incorporated only for the leaders a; b; d of the population.
The prediction in KNN is based on the naive assumption and the Encircling Prey: As the process of finding the prey, the algo-
entities are placed at a similar distance, which makes intellect to rithm utilizes the prey encircle for the best hunt. This process

Please cite this article as: T. Adithiyaa, D. Chandramohan and T. Sathish, Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-squeeze cast-
ing of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
6 T. Adithiyaa et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

mathematically models the encircling by selecting the input ! !

tion vector of a grey wolf. The vectors A and C are calculated from
parameters during the prey encircling. Therefore, the following the following equation.
equation employed as the below section will explain the process
of encircling. ! !! !
A ¼ 2a:r 1  a ð12Þ
Y tþ1 ¼ Y p;t  s  dv ð10Þ
! !
where Y tþ1 is the position of the input function at t þ 1 iteration, Y t C ¼ 2: r 2 ð13Þ
is the position of the inputs at t th iteration. Y p;t is the position of
!
prey at t th iteration. dv is the difference vector, s and cv are coeffi- where components of a are linearly decreased from 2 to 0 over the
cient vectors and b is a linearly decreasing vector from 2 to 0 course of iterations and r1 , r 2 are random vectors in [0, 1].
iterations. Selection and Updation: For selecting the accurate location, the
grey wolf will find its accurate position to locate and encircle it.
! ! ! ! 
D ¼  C : X p ðt Þ  X ðt Þ ð11Þ The prey hunt is usually guided by alpha and the flow of operation
is explained in the following equation as below.
! !
where t indicates the current iteration, A and C are coefficient vec-
Y 0ð1:::nÞ ¼ Y ða;b;dÞ  lða;b;dÞ ¢  ¢dða;b;dÞ ð14Þ
tors, X p is the position vector of the prey, and X indicates the posi-

Table 3 Y 01 þ Y 02 þ Y 03
Simulation system configuration. Y ð t þ 1Þ ¼ ð15Þ
3
System Configuration
where Y ða;b;dÞ are the positions approximated by a, b and d solutions
CPU-Processor : Intel CoreTM i5 @ 2.4 GHz
(position). This section will select an optimal location of prey during
Memory : DDR4 8 GB
Operating System : Windows 10 Pro hunting and select input and update it. After each generation of
Software Used : Mat Lab R2018b hunting, the system updates for the next set of generations.

Table 4
Estimated of predicted output from simulation.

S. No Stirring Squeeze Casting UTS Impact Energy Hardness Density

(MPa) (J) (HB) (g/cm3)
Stirring Speed Stirring Time Feed Rate Squeeze Die Melt
(rpm) (min) (g/s) Pressure Temp. Temp.
Test 500 10 0.9 100 400 750 136.75 4.55 87.76 2.84
1 600 15 1 100 400 800 163.52 4.95 84.42 2.84
700 16 1.5 100 400 850 176.47 5.02 93.23 2.84
800 18 1.8 100 400 900 163.45 4.85 85.93 2.84
Test 500 10 0.9 100 250 800 66.75 3.54 82.56 2.84
2 600 15 1 100 300 800 147.75 6.23 87.51 2.84
700 16 1.5 100 350 800 249.86 6.56 91.90 2.84
800 18 1.8 100 400 800 174.63 4.87 83.57 2.84

Fig. 2. Estimation of ultimate tensile strength.

Please cite this article as: T. Adithiyaa, D. Chandramohan and T. Sathish, Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-squeeze cast-
ing of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
 T. Adithiyaa et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 7

5. Experimental result and discussion
The proposed statistical investigation for the optimization pro-
cess is mathematically executed in the Mat Lab platform with the
following system configuration described in Table 3 with the sim-
ulation test run of 100 iterations (see Table 4).
The process parameter optimization and prediction is carried
out by the proposed algorithm and tested in Mat lab which is tab-
ulated in the above Table 3. The output from the simulation is com-
pared with the experimented result to evaluate the maximum level
of deformation obtained during the process optimization is high-
lighted in the given results as the figure below.
In Fig. 2, the tensile properties of the material are predicted by
optimizing the process parameters of the casting process. The
result indicates a maximum level of tensile properties is achieved
through the simulation strategy respectively.
In Fig. 3, the hardness of the proposed specimen is tested by the
hardness tester and the hardness properties of the material are
boosted up by the simulation process which optimizes the process
parameters. The result from this figure indicates a higher amount

Fig. 3. Estimation of hardness of the material.

Fig. 4. Estimation of impact energy.

Please cite this article as: T. Adithiyaa, D. Chandramohan and T. Sathish, Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-squeeze cast-
ing of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
8 T. Adithiyaa et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
of deformation is obtained on the predicted outcome which can be
selected as the optimal results during the evaluation respectively.
In Fig. 4, the maximum fracture behaviour of the matrix com-
posite fabricated by this casting process is analyzed by the impact
energy. An optimal level of progression is achieved after the opti-
mization process. During this analysis, the process parameter is
optimized and its effect on the impact energy is noted.
6. Conclusion
An improved hybrid metal matrix composites are developed in
this research for improving the fundamental properties of the alu-
minium alloy of 2219 grade. Generally, aluminium material is
more reliable, optimistic and flexible in the manufacturing process.
However, the advancement in properties change and demand for
highly reliable material, newer advancements are made to improve
the material conventional properties. In that manner, aluminium
alloy 2219 is partially reinforced with Titanium Carbide, Alu-
minium Oxide, and Silicon Nitride and fabricated by the stirring
squeeze casting process. Eight set of specimens are developed with
varied process parameters of melt temperature and die tempera-
tures. Mechanical property testing is carried out to evaluate the
maximum deformation in terms of UTS, hardness and impact
energy. For the improvement, an optimization process is carried
out and compared with the experimental design. Therefore, the
finding from the study is elaborated in the following section as
below respectively.
 When the die temperature of casting die is 400 °C and squeeze
pressure is 100 Mpa is maintained at constant, the tensile
strength of reinforced material obtained between 134.75 and
159.50 Mpa, hardness obtained between at 80.75 to 82.92 HB
and impact energy of material under failure loading obtained
at 4.05 to 4.25 J respectively.
 When the melt temperature is maintained constant at 800 °C
with the same pressure level, the tensile strength scores
between 62.50 and 171.50 Mpa with the hardness of between
78.55 and 83.57 HB with an impact energy of 2.98 to 3.37 J
respectively.
 By optimizing the process parameter with the algorithm on the
same operating condition of die and melt temperatures. The
material properties have a slight increase than the experi-
Please cite this article as: T. Adithiyaa, D. Chandramohan and T. Sathish, Optimal prediction of process parameters by GWO-KNN in stirring-squeeze cast-
ing of AA2219 reinforced metal matrix composites, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.10.051
mented results, which results in optimal validation. The result
discussion from the optimization process can provide optimal
process parameters for developing the aluminium hybrid metal
matrix with efficient mechanical properties respectively.
 Conclusively, the obtained results from both the experimental
and optimization process show the proposed composition of
metal matrix is an optimal metal for utilizing in real-time appli-
cation with desired material properties respectively.
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