A comparative study on the wear properties of coarse-grained Al6061 alloy and nanostructured Al6061–Al2O3 composites

Wear behavior of nanostructured Al6061 alloy and Al6061–Al2O3 nanocomposites produced by milling and hot consolidation were investigated. The samples were characterized by hardness test, pin-on-disk wear test, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nanocomposites containing 3 vol% Al2O3 showed a maximum hardness of 235 HV and optimum wear rate of 4×10−3 mg/m. Increasing the amount of Al2O3 up to 5 vol% resulted in decrease in hardness values (∼112 HV) and a sharp rise in wear rate (∼18×10−3 mg/m).

► Studying the tribological behavior of bulk nanostructured Al6061 alloy.
► Studying the tribological behavior of bulk nanostructured Al6061 alloy Al2O3 nanocomposites.
► The effect of nanocrystallization and different volume percentages of nanoparticles on wear properties.