Abstract
The scratch test enables assessing the susceptibility of a material to the development of scratches and, being in some ways a measure of its abrasion resistance, allows extended knowledge in the field of material application usability, especially its machining capabilities. The aim of the study was to assess the resistance of a centrifugally formed AlSi12/SiCp composite layer with a high share of reinforcing phase (Vp > 40%) to scratching with a diamond indenter. The microstructure and effect of the load applied to the diamond indenter on the scratch depth and susceptibility of the composite layer to the nucleation and propagation of cracks in hard and brittle SiC particles were analyzed. A simple model of SiCp cracking depending on their size, shape (geometry), and orientation in relation to the direction of scratching has been proposed.
Highlights
The intensive development of mechanical engineering industries, especially the commonly observed trend to reduce the weight and minimize the manufacturing and operating cost and the overall environmental effect of the final product, inclines manufacturers to seek after new solutions in scope of the used engineering materials
Susceptibility of the tested AlSi12/silicon carbide particles (SiCp) composite layer formed in the centrifugal casting process to scratching depends significantly on the value of force applied to the diamond indenter
With the increasing value of the force applied to the diamond indenter, the friction force and friction coefficient values increase significantly, which is evidence of a high resistance of SiC
Summary
The intensive development of mechanical engineering industries, especially the commonly observed trend to reduce the weight and minimize the manufacturing and operating cost and the overall environmental effect of the final product, inclines manufacturers to seek after new solutions in scope of the used engineering materials. An answer to the demand of modern industry are composite materials based on polymer [1], ceramic [2], or metallic [3] matrices. Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are numbered among new materials showing great application potential [3,4,5]. From among MMCs, those perceived as attractive and most intensively developed are particulate reinforced metal matrix composites (PRMMCs) based on lightweight aluminum alloys (aluminum matrix composites, AlMCs) reinforced with hard ceramic phase, especially with particulate silicon carbide (SiCp ). A number of authors [6,7,8] pointed out that compared to the matrix material, Al/SiCp composites are characterized with higher strength and rigidity, at elevated temperature, better stability of the thermal coefficient of expansion, and increased hardness and resistance to abrasive wear. The primary areas of application for AlMCs are components designed for aircraft, automobile, and machine-building industries such as combustion engine cylinder liners, pistons, and brake drums and discs [9,10,11]
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