Dry sliding wear behavior of extruded Mg-Sn-Yb alloy

Abstract

The dry sliding wear behavior of extruded Mg-9Sn and Mg-9Sn-3Yb alloys through pin-on-disc configuration was investigated at room temperature. Coefficient of friction, wear rate and wear resistance of extruded Mg-9Sn and Mg-9Sn-3Yb alloys were measured within a load range of 20–240 N and 20–380 N at a sliding velocity of 0.785 m/s, respectively. The wear tracks, worn surface and wear edge were observed using a scanning electron microscope and an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The results indicated that wear rate, coefficient of friction and wear resistance changed with increasing applied load due to different wear mechanisms. Six wear mechanisms, namely adhesion, abrasion, oxidation, delamination, thermal softening and melting, were observed for both extruded alloys. The extruded Mg-9Sn-3Yb alloy exhibited good wear resistance compared with extruded Mg-9Sn alloy, which was mainly attributed to a large number of volume fraction of Mg2Sn particles, the formation of thermal stable Mg2(Sn,Yb) particles and good elevated temperature mechanical properties.