Wear behaviour of Al6061-Al2O3 composites produced by in-situ powder metallurgy (IPM)

Abstract

In this study, the in-situ powder metallurgy (IPM) method was used to produce Al6061/Al2O3 composites. At the first stage, Al6061/Al2O3 powder mixtures of varying alumina content and size were produced. The powder mixtures were then consolidated to obtain the corresponding composites. The effect of the alumina size (37–276μm) and alumina content (15–40vol%) on the particle size, flow rate and compressibility of the Al6061/Al2O3 powder mixtures and also on the wear behaviour of the consolidated composites were studied. Increased alumina content and decreased alumina size inversely affected the flow rate and compressibility of the powder mixtures. Wear behaviour of the composites was investigated using a pin-on-disk tester. The results showed that the best wear resistance was related to the composite containing 20vol% of alumina with the mean size of 150μm. This study proved that IPM can be successfully used for the production of wear-resistant Al6061/Al2O3 composites.