Optimizing the effect of wear test parameters on the specific wear rate of AZ91D magnesium alloy

Abstract

Due to low densities, magnesium (Mg) alloys are highly used in the automotive and aerospace industry to decrease the weight of components and thus in turn to slash the fuel consumption and emission of greenhouse gases. The poor wear resistance of magnesium alloys restricts their use in many applications. In the present study, the effect of wear test parameters on as-received AZ91D magnesium alloy was analyzed by conducting pin-on-disc wear experiments. The parameters considered in this study were applied load (AL), sliding speed (SS), and sliding distance (SD). Optimization of wear test parameters was done using response surface methodology, and a quadratic model was established by incorporating these parameters to predict the Specific Wear Rate (SWR). The results indicated that the proposed model correlated well with the experimental results. The Specific Wear Rate had a direct relationship with AL and SD however varied inversely with SS. The AL of 44.74 (N), SS of 1.77 (m/s) and SD of 521.12 (m) were the optimized parameters proposed by the mathematical model.