Dry Sliding Wear Performance of A356 Alloy with Minor Additions of Magnesium

Abstract

In the present investigation, effect of minor additions of magnesium (Mg) content on the dry sliding wear behavior of A356 alloy has been reported. Alloy composition, normal pressures and sliding distances on A356 alloy has been studied. The worn surfaces were characterized by SEM microanalysis. The results indicate that, the wear rate of A356 alloy increases with increase in normal pressures and sliding distances in all the cases and decreases with 0.7% Mg addition to the A356 alloy. This is due to the change in microstructure resulting in improvement of hardness and strength of the alloy. The worn surface study indicates that, the formation of oxide layer between the mating surfaces during sliding improves sliding wear performance.