A Fractional Factorial Design Study of Reciprocating Wear Behavior of Al-Si-SiCp Composites at Lubricated Contacts

Abstract

The lubricated reciprocating wear behavior of two composites A319/15%SiCp and A390/15%SiCp produced by the liquid metallurgy route was investigated by means of an indigenously developed reciprocating friction wear test rig using a fractional factorial-design approach. The main purpose was to study the influence of wear and friction test parameters such as applied load, sliding distance, reciprocating velocity, counter surface temperature and silicon content in composites, as well as their interactions on the wear and friction characteristics of these composites. Two output responses (wear loss and coefficient of friction) were measured. The input parameter levels were fixed through pilot experiment conducted in the newly developed reciprocating friction and wear test rig. The counter surface material used for the wear study was cast iron having Vickers hardness of 244 HVN. It had been demonstrated through established equations that A390/15%SiCp composite is subjected to low wear compared to the A319/15%SiCp composite. The experimental results indicate that the proposed mathematical models suggested could adequately describe the performance indicators within the limits of the factors that are being investigated. The applied load, sliding distance, reciprocating velocity, counter surface temperature, and silicon content in composite are the five important factors controlling the friction and wear characteristics of the composite in lubricated condition. Moreover, the two factor interactions have a strong effect on the wear of composites. The results give a comprehensive insight into the wear of the composites.