Cryogenic effects during casting on the wear behavior of aluminum-alloy/glass MMCs

This paper studies the wear behaviour of aluminum alloy/glass composites cast using cryogenically cooled copper chills. The size of the glass particles range from 50 to 100 μm and the content by weight ranges from 3% to 12% in steps of 3%. The superior mechanical properties of the castings, particularly their ultimate tensile strength (UTS), hardness and wear resistance, are discussed in relation to their microstructure. Results of the investigation indicate that, strength, hardness and wear resistance of the composite developed are highly dependent on the chilling rate and also the dispersoid content of the composite. The wear mechanisms are also studied using scanning electron microscopy.