Wear and Friction Behavior of the Spray-Deposited SiCp/Al-20Si-3Cu Functionally Graded Material

The spray-deposited SiCp/Al-20Si-3Cu functionally graded material (FGM) can meet the structure design requirements of brake disk. The effects of rotational speed and load on the wear and friction behaviors of the SiCp/Al-20Si-3Cu FGM sliding against the resin matrix friction material were investigated. For comparison, the wear and friction behaviors of a commercially used cast iron (HT250) brake rotor were also studied. The results indicate that the friction coefficient of the SiCp/Al-20Si-3Cu FGM decreases constantly with the increase of load or rotational speed and is affected by the gradient distribution of SiC particles. The wear rate of the SiCp/Al-20Si-3Cu FGM firstly increases, then decreases and finally increases again with increasing load or speed, and is about 1/10 of that of HT250. Based on observations and analyses on the morphology and substructure of the worn surface, the mechanical mixing layer acts as a protective coating and lubricant, and its thickness reduces with the SiC content increasing. Furthermore, it is proposed that the dominant wear mechanism of SiCp/Al-20Si-3Cu FGM changes from the abrasive wear to the oxidative wear and further to the delamination wear with increasing load or speed.