Microstructures and wear properties of Al–Mg–Si alloy with the addition of ball-milled CoNi powders

Microstructures and wear properties of a newly developed Al–Mg–Si–CoNi alloy by the addition of ball-milled CoNi powders have been investigated. The ball-milled CoNi powder reacted with aluminum to form a ternary Al4(Ni,Co)3 phase in the microstructure and the phase retained its crystal structure until T6 treatment. The wear properties of the Al–Mg–Si–CoNi alloy have been compared to a commercial A6061 (Al–Mg–Si) alloy under dry sliding conditions. The wear test was conducted under a frequency of 4 Hz and a load range of 50–300 N. The Al–Mg–Si–CoNi alloy exhibited better wear properties than the A6061 alloy for all test conditions in this investigation. On the basis of the observation and analysis of the worn surface, worn subsurface and wear debris, the wear mechanism acting on each load has been evaluated for an Al–Mg–Si–CoNi alloy and an A6061 alloy.

► The ball-milled CoNi powder reacts with aluminum to form Al4(Ni,Co)3 in the matrix.
► The Al–Mg–Si–CoNi alloy exhibits better wear properties than the A6061 alloy.
► The wear mechanism acting on each load was identified for an Al–Mg–Si–CoNi alloy.