Tribological Behavior of Al-SiC Metal Matrix Composite Under Dry, Aqueous and Alkaline Medium

Abstract

The present study considers friction and wear behavior of aluminum matrix composites reinforced with SiC particles under three different working environments, viz., dry condition, aqueous medium and alkaline medium. The experiments are conducted with a pin-on-disk tribotester where the composite specimen slides against an alumina disk under the application of varying normal load and sliding speed. It is observed that wear increases with increase in applied load and sliding speed for all three working environments and the maximum wear occurs in the case of the alkaline medium followed by the aqueous medium and the dry condition. In general, the friction coefficient decreases with increase in applied normal load. The microstructure analysis of the worn sliding surface is done with the help of a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. It is seen that the wear mechanism in dry condition is dominated by adhesive and abrasive wear while both mechanical and corrosive wear occur in corrosive environments.