Effects of sliding velocity and normal load on tribological behavior of aged Al-Sn-Cu alloy

The tribological behavior of aged Al-Sn-Cu alloy rubbed in the presence of lubricant over a range of sliding velocities and normal loads was investigated. The results showed that peak-aged (PA) alloy had a better tribological behavior than under-aged (UA) and over-aged (OA) alloys, which could be attributed to the optimized strength-ductility matching and a better hardness under PA condition. Wear rate and friction coefficient showed great sensitivity to applied sliding velocity and normal load. The wear rate and friction coefficient of the alloy exhibited a reduction trend with the increase in sliding velocity. The low wear rate and friction coefficient of alloy at high velocities were due to the effectively protected film and homogeneous Sn on surface. However, an increase in normal load led to an obvious increment in wear rate. The friction coefficient exhibited a fluctuant trend with the increase of normal loads. The seriously destroyed film and abraded Sn resulted in poor tribological behavior at high normal loads. The Sn particles and lubricant film which includes low shear interfacial lubricating layer and oxide tribolayer are the key to the tribological behavior of Al-Sn-Cu alloy.