Influence of Crystallographic Orientation on Nanoscale Friction and Wear Mechanisms of the AZ91 Alloy

Abstract

In the present study, nanoscale friction and wear behavior of the AZ91 alloy with respect to crystallographic orientations (basal, pyramidal and prismatic) were examined. The hardness of different crystallographic orientation was measured using nanoindentation. Load-dependent friction and wear behavior was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) was used to investigate the deformation behavior post-indentation and wear. A strong anisotropy in hardness, friction and wear with respect to crystallographic orientation was observed. The basal oriented grain was found to be most wear-resistant followed by prismatic and pyramidal oriented grains. The friction results corroborated the wear data. Additionally, the model proposed by Song et al. has been used to quantify the orientation dependence of friction values. Finally, it is anticipated that these results will enable the development of orientation informed surfaces for controlling the wear and friction response of materials.