A parametric study of the relationship between microstructure and wear resistance of Al-Si alloys

Pair wise comparisons showed that an increase in the Si content from 9.5 to 25 wt.% increased the transition load L1 by 140%, but had only a minor effect on C. An increase in alloy hardness from 31.6 to 53.5 kg/mm2 provided a very significant increase in the transition loads (e.g., 400% increase in L1), but did not have a notable effect on the values of C (only 3% increase). On the other hand, a decrease in the silicon particle aspect ratio from 3.75 to 1.98 increased L1 by 25% and reduced C1 by 25% (and C2 by 31%). A decrease in the silicon particle size from 45.8 to 3.1 μm had the most significant effect on both wear parameters by reducing C1 by 35% and C2 by 58%, and increasing the transition load L1 by 71%.