Effect of sliding distance on the wear and friction behavior of as cast and heat-treated Al–SiCp composites

The present investigation aims to evaluate the effect of sliding distance on the wear and friction behavior of as cast and heat-treated Al–SiCp composites using pin-on-disc wear testing machine, giving emphasis on the parameters such as wear rate and coefficient of friction as a function of sliding distance (0–5000 m) at different applied pressures of 0.2, 0.6, 1.0 and 1.4 MPa, and at a fixed sliding speed of 3.35 m/s. Characterizing the alloy and composites in terms of microstructure, X-ray diffraction analysis, microhardness and wear surface analysis. The results revealed that the heat-treated composite exhibited superior wear properties than the base alloy, while the coefficient of friction followed an opposite trend. Moreover, the wear rate of the composite is noted to be invariant to the sliding distance and increased with applied pressures. Microstructure of composite shows fairly uniform distribution of SiC particles in the metallic matrix. The hardness value of heat-treated composite increased 20–30% by addition of SiC particles to the alloy, intermetallic phases like Al2Mg3 and Al2CuMg, etc., were obtained from X-ray analysis. The wear mechanism of the investigated materials was studied through worn surfaces examination of the developed wear tracks.

Research highlights► Uniform distribution of SiC particles in aluminium matrix. ► Intermetallic phases such as Mg2Cu6Al5 and Al2CuMg from X-ray diffraction analysis. ► Hardness of composite is increased 20 to 30% by the addition of SiCp to the alloy. ► Wear rate is increased with increasing load and sliding distance. ► Formation of continuous grooves and some damaged regions on worn surfaces.