Investigation of Tribological Properties of Magnesium Alloys under Dry Sliding and Lubrication Condition

Abstract

The friction and wear characteristics of three magnesium alloys, AZ91D, AS41, and AZ71E, under dry sliding and lubricated conditions were investigated. The results indicate that friction coefficients for selected magnesium alloys increase with the increased applied load under lubrication condition but decrease with an increase of applied load under dry sliding condition. The higher the applied load, the greater the wear rate under both sliding conditions. Moreover, addition of lubricant may significantly result in the decrease of the wear rate and friction coefficient of three magnesium alloys. Low applied load and lubrication condition lead to little difference of wear rate for three magnesium alloys, whereas high applied load leads to the least wear rate for AZ71E alloy under both sliding conditions, followed by AZ91D and AS41, which is inverse to the rank of hardness or yield strength of these alloys. Abrasive wear is the dominant wear mechanism for three magnesium alloys under lubrication condition, as well as for AZ71E alloy under dry sliding condition. Delaminative wear is the predominant wear mechanism for AZ91D and AS41 alloys under dry sliding condition.