Abstract
The friction and wear properties of an Al6061 alloy reinforced with carbon fibers (CF) modified with Cu-Ni bimetallic layers were researched. Cu-Ni double layers were applied to the CF by electroless plating and Al6061-matrix composites were prepared by powder metallurgy technology. The metal-CF/Al interfaces and post-dry-wear-testing wear loss weights, friction coefficients, worn surfaces, and wear debris were characterized. After T6 heat treatment, the interfacial bonding mechanism of Cu-Ni-CF changed from mechanical bonding to diffusion bonding and showed improved interfacial bonding strength because the Cu transition layer reduced the fiber damage caused by Ni diffusion. The metal–CF interfacial bonding strongly influenced the composite’s tribological properties. Compared to the Ni-CF/Al and Cu-CF/Al composites, the Cu-Ni-CF/Al composite showed the highest hardness, the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate, and the best load-carrying capacity. The wear mechanisms of Cu-Ni-CF/Al composite are mainly slight abrasive wear and adhesive wear.
Highlights
Studies in aerospace and automotive fields have shown that the materials used for components like engines should possess good mechanical and tribological properties [1]
The results demonstrated that interfacial bonding between the Cu-Ni double layers and short carbon fibers (SCFs) occurred by diffusion bonding, which is higher in strength than mechanical bonding
Each SCF is completely coated with metal with no shedding, indicating that the mechanical bonding between the fiber and coating is strong
Summary
Studies in aerospace and automotive fields have shown that the materials used for components like engines should possess good mechanical and tribological properties [1]. Ureña et al [17] reported that Cu or Ni coatings were advantageous to wet the CF in the process before dissolving in the Al matrix to form intermetallic compounds, improving the hardness and wear resistance They found that the friction coefficient of Cu-SCF/Al was lower than that of Ni-SCF/Al. Xia et al [6] found that Cu-SCF can improve the abrasion resistance of aluminum alloy. Present research only focuses on enhancing Al matrices by modified SCFs without heat treatment In such composites, the fiber and metal coating are mechanically bonded with weak interfacial adhesion, so the strengthening effect of SCFs modified by a single metal layer (Cu or Ni) on the Al6061 alloy is not optimal. The above results showed that using SCFs improved the specific modulus, strength, and load-transfer capability of composite structural components [23] This indicated that SCFs, as reinforcements, effectively improved the wear resistance of Al-matrix composites. The solid solution was uniformly distributed in the SCF/Al interface and further improved the composite performance
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