Tribological functionality of aluminium sliding materials with hard phases under lubricated conditions

► Evaluation of tribological functionality of AlSi in lubricated ring-on-disc tests. ► Hard phases (Si and Al2Cu) form a load bearing particle structured surface. ► Protective tribofilms (rich in P, O, Zn, S) form exclusively on Si, Al2Cu and steel. ► Tribofilms are only generated under harsh local contact conditions. ► Friction modifiers can change fracturing process of Si-hard phases.