Wear behavior and mechanism of B4C reinforced Mg-matrix composites fabricated by metal-assisted pressureless infiltration technique

The B4C/Mg composites fabricated by metal-assisted pressureless infiltration technique were used as experimental material, and the wear behavior and mechanism of this material were studied. A pin-on-disc apparatus was used to evaluate the wear behavior where loads of 20, 40, 60 and 80 N, and a sliding velocity of 250 r/min were exerted. The results show that B4C/Mg composites possess superior wear resistance than pure Mg under various applied loads, and the content of Ti, as infiltration inducer, has an influence on the wear resistance of B4C/Mg composites. The dominant wear mechanism for pure Mg is abrasion, while that for B4C/Mg composites under low loads is adhesion and delamination. Under high loads, the wear mechanism of B4C/Mg composites can be attributed to thermal softening and melting or plastic deformation.