The role of ceramic particle loading and the influence of hot extrusion on the tribological behaviour of aluminium alloy-SiCp composites

Abstract

Aluminium matrix composites (AMC) are gaining wide popularity in various sectors due to their excellent properties which are synergic. Apart from strength, wear resistance of a material is also an essential criterion for the number of applications. Extensive studies are being carried out on the secondary processing of these materials to enhance the suitability of the AMC for engineering applications. In this study, initially, Al 2014 base alloy and their composites with 5, 10, and 15 wt.% SiCp fabricated by stir casting route were subjected to wear test. Based on the encouraging wear performance, the Al-10 wt.% SiC composite was further subjected to extrusion. Pin-on-disc sliding wear tests on the as-cast & extruded base alloy and the composite samples were carried out at a constant load of 20 N for a total sliding distance of 1000 m with a velocity of 2 m/s. Microhardness and porosity measurements were carried out besides the study of wear performance, such as coefficient of friction and wear by weight loss. The worn surfaces were analyzed both by optical and scanning electron microscopes. The effect of particle addition, extrusion, porosity, and microhardness on the wear performance of the samples was discussed. Among the samples studied, the Al-10 wt.% SiC composite extruded at a ratio of 8:1 is found to have the highest wear resistance.