Dry sliding wear behavior of SiC and B4C-reinforced AA6351 metal matrix composite produced by stir casting process

Abstract

In the present study, the influence of Boron Carbide (B4C) particles on the dry sliding wear behavior of aluminum matrix alloy (AA6351) – Silicon Carbide (SiC) composite – produced by the stir casting method is investigated. The wear test is carried out by pin-on-disc apparatus over an applied load range of 20–100 N and sliding velocity ranging from 1 to 5 m/s. The worn surfaces are discussed in detail with the Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) image. The experimental results show that the maximum wear rate of 21.91 × 10−3 mm3/m is achieved for the AA-5 wt. % SiC composite at 100 N load and 2 m/s sliding velocity. However, the inclusion of B4C particles on the composite reduced the wear rate significantly. Thus, the increased wt. % of B4C particles in the composite exhibits a good wear resistance behavior at higher load and sliding velocity conditions.