Wear behavior of Al 5252 alloy reinforced with micrometric and nanometric SiC particles

The dry sliding wear behavior of Al 5252 alloy and its composites reinforced with nanometric or micrometric SiC particles is studied. The wear tests were conducted on hot extruded samples using a pin on the disc configuration under normal stresses: 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 MPa at a sliding speed of 0.5 m/s and distance of 1000 m. The dominant wear mechanisms were determined using microstructural characterization, hardness measurement, EDS analysis as well as microscopic studies of wear surfaces and debris. The composite reinforced with micrometric SiC particles showed the lowest wear rate at the applied stresses of 0.3 and 0.6 MPa, while the nano-composites exhibited the best wear resistance at the normal stress of 0.9 MPa.