Sliding wear behavior of SiC whisker-reinforced aluminum composite

Abstract

Wear properties of SiC whisker-reinforced 2024 aluminum alloys (designated as SiCwAl) with volume fraction of whiskers ( V f) ranging from 0 to 16% produced by a powder metallurgy technique were investigated by pin-on-disk tests under dry conditions. The test materials of a disk were rubbed against a 0.45% carbon steel counterface pin at 40 N and 0.1 m s −1. The severe to mild wear transition occurred with sliding distance for the SiCw-Al composites as well as for the unreinforced matrix 2024A1. The initial sliding distance required to achieve mild wear decreased with increasing V f. In severe wear, the wear rate and the friction coefficient linearly decreased with V f because whiskers prevented propagation of the wear crack. In mild wear, the wear rate decreased with V f because the wear particles became smaller due to surface hardening. It was concluded that the SiCw reinforcement can improve the wear resistance of aluminum alloy for both severe and mild wear.