Influence of Ti,B and Sr on tribological properties of A356 alloy

Abstract

The wear behaviour of an A356 alloy has been investigated in this paper. To understand the wear behaviour of the materials, the experiments were carried out using a pin on disc testing machine at various combinations of normal pressure, sliding speed and sliding distances. Tribological results reveal that weight loss of A356 alloy increases with increasing normal pressure and decreases with increasing sliding speed. Also, the results at microlevel revealed a structural change from coarse columnar dendrites to fine equiaxed ones on the addition of grain refiner (Al and B) and furthermore, plate-like eutectic silicon to fine particles on addition of modifier (Sr). It is further noted in the present study that addition of modifier does not disturb the influence of grain refiner and vice versa. Abrasive wear mechanism was interrupted by the formation of microwelds and later by oxidation of the Al matrix.     

Effect of grain refinement and modification on the dry sliding wear behaviour of eutectic Al-Si alloys

The present study deals with an investigation of dry sliding wear behaviour of grain refined and or modified eutectic (Al-12Si) Al-Si alloy by using a Pin-On-Disc machine. The indigenously developed Al-1Ti-3B and Al-10Sr master alloys were used as grain refiner and modifier for the grain refinement of α-Al dendrites and modification of eutectic Si, respectively. Various parameters have been studied such as alloy composition, sliding speed, sliding distance and normal pressure. The cast alloys, master alloys and worn surfaces were characterized by SEM/EDX microanalysis. Results suggest that, the wear resistance of eutectic Al-Si alloys increases with the addition of grain refiner (Al-1Ti-3B) and or modifier (Al-10Sr). Further, the worn surface studies show that adhesive wear was observed in Al-12Si alloy in the absence of grain refiner and modifier. However, an abrasive and oxidative wear was observed when the grain refiner and modifier are added to the same alloy. Commercially available LM-6 (12.5%Si) alloy was used for comparison.     

Effect of Wettability Enhancement of SiC Particles on Impact Toughness and Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of Compocasted A356/20SiCp Composites

In this study, the effect of wettability improvement of SiCp on the impact and sliding wear behavior of A356/20 wt% SiCp composites produced by a compocasting technique has been investigated. The result showed an increase of incorporation and uniform distribution of SiCp in the A356 matrix by elimination of SiCp segregation. Desired bonding between SiCp and the aluminum matrix due to improved wettability resulted in enhanced properties in terms of improved impact toughness and wear resistance. This improvement was also associated with partial refinement of coarse eutectic silicon due to increased incorporation and distribution of SiCp reinforcements. The highest enhancement was obtained when 1% Mg was added into the melt in addition to pretreated SiCp. The impact toughness value increased by 10 and 26% and the wear rate decreased by 5 and 30% when the SiC was treated and when Mg was added, respectively, compared to as-received SiCp. The impact fracture surfaces showed fewer decohered and well-bonded SiC particles in A356–(SiC-treated-Mg) composite. The highest wear resistance of A356/SiCp composites was achieved by A356–(SiC-treated-Mg) composite for applied loads of 10 and 20 N compared to other fabricated composites. The worn surface revealed mild abrasion and adhesion wear mechanisms.     

Dry sliding wear of fly ash particle reinforced A356 Al composites

In the present study aluminium alloy (A356) composites containing 6 and 12 vol. % of fly ash particles have been fabricated. The dry sliding wear behaviour of unreinforced alloy and composites are studied using Pin-On-Disc machine at a load of 10, 20, 50, 65 and 80 N at a constant sliding velocity of 1 m/s. Results show that the dry sliding wear resistance of Al-fly ash composite is almost similar to that of Al₂O₃ and SiC reinforced Al-alloy. Composites exhibit better wear resistance compared to unreinforced alloy up to a load of 80 N. Fly ash particle size and its volume fraction significantly affect the wear and friction properties of composites. Microscopic examination of the worn surfaces, subsurfaces and debris has been done. At high loads (>50 N), where fly ash particles act as load bearing constituents, the wear resistance of A356 Al alloy reinforced with narrow size range (53–106 μm) fly ash particles were superior to that of the composite having the same volume fraction of particles in the wide size range (0.5–400 μm).     

Dry sliding wear response of zinc-based alloy over a range of test speeds and loads: a comparative study with cast iron

This study pertains to the observations made during the sliding wear response of a zinc-based alloy in different test conditions. The effects of sliding speed and load on the wear behaviour of the alloy have been studied. The properties evaluated were wear rate, frictional heating and coefficient of friction. The wear performance of the zinc-based alloy has been compared with that of a conventional cast iron in identical test conditions. The wear rate of the samples increased with applied load and sliding speed while the seizure resistance (load) deteriorated with speed. The zinc-based alloy exhibited less wear rate and reduced frictional heating than that of the cast iron while friction coefficient followed a reverse trend. Observed wear response of the samples has been discussed in terms of specific features like lubricating, load carrying, microcracking and thermal stability of various microconstituents of the samples, and substantiated further through the features of wear surfaces, subsurface regions and debris.     

Microstructural and Tribological Properties of A356 Al–Si Alloy Reinforced with Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Particles

In the present study, the effect of the Al₂O₃ particles (average size of 12 μm, 3 and 10 wt.%) reinforcement on the microstructure and tribological properties of Al–Si alloy (A356) was investigated. Composites were produced by applying compocasting process. Tribological properties of unreinforced alloy and composites were studied, using pin-on-disc tribometer, under dry sliding conditions at different specific loads and sliding speed of 1 m/s. Microhardness measurements, optical microscope and scanning electron microscope were used for microstructural characterization and investigation of worn surfaces and wear debris. During compocasting of A356 alloy, a transformation from a typical dendritic primary α phase to a non-dendritic rosette-like structure occurred. Composites exhibited better wear resistance compared with unreinforced alloy. Presence of 3 wt.% Al₂O₃ particles in the composite material affected the wear resistance only at specific loads up to 1 MPa. The wear rate of composite with 10 wt.% Al₂O₃ particles was nearly two order of the magnitude lower than the wear rate of the matrix alloy. Dominant wear mechanism for all materials was adhesion, with others mechanisms: oxidation, abrasion and delamination as minor ones.     

Characterization of wear scar surfaces using combined three-dimensional topographic analysis and contact resistance measurements

In this paper, a technique for the quantitative characterization of wear scar surfaces, using combined three-dimensional topographical analysis and contact resistance measurements, is introduced. Parameters for the characterization of wear surfaces, developed during sliding of pin-on-disk specimens in oxygen at high temperature, such as wear volume, roughness, average wear depth on the disk specimen, surface coverage by wear-protective oxide layers and their distributions over the wear surface, are presented and calculated. Such analyses provide more effective data for the analysis of wear processes and wear mechanisms.This method has been applied to the analysis of dry reciprocating sliding wear of a nickel-base alloy, N80A, at temperatures to 600°C. It was found that there was usually a difference between the wear rates of the pin and the disk. This difference increased with increase in temperature, the wear of the pin being much less than that of the disk at the higher temperatures. Although the total wear of both the pin and the disk decreased considerably with increase in temperature, the damage to the disk, judged by the wear depth of the scar, was much higher at elevated temperatures than at low temperatures. The roughnesses of the wear surfaces generally increased with increase in temperature. Less than 50% coverage of the scar surfaces by wear-protective oxide layers was sufficient for the severe-to-mild wear transition. However, the distribution of the wear-protective layers over the wear surfaces was non-uniform. Most of them were concentrated near the centre of the scar, along the sliding direction, under the present conditions. These features of the wear scar surfaces were mainly related to the adhesion and compaction of wear debris particles onto the wear surfaces, leading to development of the wear-protective layers at the various temperatures.     

镍基合金喷熔层摩擦学行为与机制的研究

采用热喷熔工艺制备了两种镍基合金喷熔层,并选用高锰钢、不锈钢作为对比材料,研究了镍基合金喷熔层的摩擦磨损性能。研究结果表明：镍基合金喷熔层具有良好的耐磨损性能和较低的摩擦系数。镍含量对喷熔层的摩擦学性能有显著影响,高镍含量的镍基合金,其耐磨性能明显优于低镍含量的镍基合金。在低速轻载条件下,镍基合金喷熔层的磨损机理为微观犁削;高速重载时,表现为粘着磨损和磨料磨损,其中高镍含量的喷熔层表面形成了致密的转移膜,有效地降低了磨损率。     

Wear Behavior of Cooling Slope Rheocast A356 Al Alloy

In the present study, the dry sliding wear behavior of rheocast A356 Al alloys, cast using a cooling slope, as well as gravity cast A356 Al alloy have been investigated at a low sliding speed of 1 ms^?1, against a hardened EN 31 disk at different loads. The wear mechanism involves microcutting–abrasion and adhesion at lower load for all of the alloys studied in the present work. On the other hand, at higher load, mainly adhesive wear along with oxide formation is observed for gravity cast A356 Al alloy and rheocast A356 Al alloy, cast using a 45° slope angle. Unlike other alloys, 60° slope rheocast A356 Al alloy is found to undergo mainly abrasive wear at higher load. Accordingly, the rheocast sample, cast using a 60° cooling slope, exhibits a remarkably lower wear rate at higher load compared to gravity cast and 45° slope rheocast samples. This is attributed to the dominance of abrasive wear at higher load in the case of rheocast A356 Al alloy cast using a 60° slope. The presence of finer and more spherical primary Al grain morphology is found to resist adhesive wear in case of 60° cooling slope processed rheocast alloy and thereby delay the transition of the wear regime from normal wear to severe wear.     

The influence of alumina particle dispersion and test parameters on dry sliding wear behaviour of zinc-based alloy

The present investigation deals with dry sliding wear characteristics of a zinc-based alloy (ZA 37) with and without Al₂O₃ particle dispersion over a range of sliding speeds and applied pressures. The matrix alloy has been examined under identical test conditions in order to examine the role played by the second phase alumina particles on wear behaviour. The observed wear behaviour of the samples has been explained in terms of specific characteristics like cracking tendency, lubricating, load bearing and deformability characteristics, and thermal stability of various microconstituents. The nature of predominance of one set of parameters (causing higher wear rate) over the other (producing a reverse effect) was thought to actually control the wear behaviour. Examinations of the characteristic of wear surfaces and subsurface regions also enabled to understand the operating wear mechanism and to substantiate the wear behaviour.At low sliding speed, significantly lower wear rate of the matrix alloy over that of the composite was noticed. This has been attributed to increased microcracking tendency of the composite than the matrix alloy. Reduced wear rate and higher seizure pressure experienced by the composite over that of the matrix alloy at the higher sliding speeds could be explained to be due to enhanced compatibility of matrix alloy with dispersoid phase and greater thermal stability of the composite in view of the presence of the dispersoid. The maximum temperature rise due to frictional heating has been observed to be low in the case of matrix alloy than composite at low speed while the trend reversed at higher speeds. In general, the wear rate and temperature increased with applied pressure and speed. Seizure pressure reduced with increasing speed while the seizure resistance (pressure) of the matrix alloy was more adversely affected by speed than that of the composite.     

Microstructural and sliding wear behaviour of a heat-treated zinc-based alloy

The effect of heat treatment on microstructure, hardness, tensile properties, fracture mode and wear behaviour during lubricated and dry sliding of the zinc-based alloy with 25 wt.%Al was studied. Microstructural investigation and chemical analysis of as-cast and heat-treated specimens, the fracture and worn surfaces, as well as wear debris were performed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Wear tests were carried out using a disc-on block-type wear machine. By a relatively simple heat treating consisting of a short-term annealing in the single-phase region followed by water-quenching, the elongation has been markedly improved, while the strength was maintained high. The results indicate that the wear rate strongly depends on the microstructure, applied load and sliding conditions. The wear rate increases with load, and under dry sliding conditions the wear rate is approximately two orders of a magnitude higher than under lubricated conditions. During dry sliding the best wear behaviour was displayed by the water-quenched specimens, whereas slowly cooled specimens showed the higher wear rate. Lubrication strongly affects the wear behaviour. Contrary to dry sliding, slowly cooled specimens exhibit the best wear properties under lubricated conditions. The wear mechanisms were proposed for dry and lubricated sliding. An erratum to this article can be found at     

The effects of alumina fibres on the sliding wear of a cast aluminium alloy

Dry sliding wear performance of a squeeze cast aluminium alloy-alumina fibre composite has been examined in this investigation using a pin-on-disc machine. A composite in the form of a pin was evaluated against a rotating EN 25 steel disc. The wear response of the base alloy was also studied to assess the influence of a reinforcing phase over a range of applied pressures until the onset of seizure. Incorporation of alumina fibres resulted in superior wear performance of the base alloy, i.e. reduced wear loss, improved seizure pressure and reduced rise in temperature near contact surfaces. Onset of seizure in general caused significantly higher wear loss and temperature rise and large adhesion of the specimen material to the disc surface. A longitudinal cross-section of worn samples suggested nominal wear-induced microstructural changes and deformation in the subsurface regions. The wear surfaces revealed smooth and continuous grooves with less damaged regions prior to onset of seizure, while severe surface damage was observed thereafter. Similarly, debris particles generated during onset of seizure were coarser. The presence of deeper grooves on the wear surfaces and iron mass in the debris particles indicated abrasion to be one of the wear mechanisms in addition to adhesion. That the debris particles were mainly of flake type consisting of microcracks indicated that material removal occurred mainly by delamination.     

Reciprocating Sliding Wear Behavior of 60NiTi As Compared to 440C Steel under Lubricated and Unlubricated Conditions

ABSTRACT

60NiTi is a hard (～60 HRC) and highly corrosion-resistant intermetallic with a relatively low elastic modulus (～100 GPa). In addition, this alloy exhibits a high compressive strength (～2,500 MPa) and a high elastic compressive strain of over 5%. These attributes make this alloy an attractive candidate to be employed in structural and mechanical component applications. However, sliding wear behavior of this intermetallic has not yet been studied in a systematic way. In this study, lubricated and unlubricated reciprocating sliding wear behavior of 60NiTi is compared to 440 C steel as a conventional bearing and wear-resistant alloy. Results of experiments carried out under different loads show that 60NiTi, despite having a higher hardness, exhibits a significantly inferior wear behavior under dry conditions in comparison to 440 C steel. These unexpected results indicate that 60NiTi does not follow conventional wear theories where the wear of materials has an inverse relationship to their hardness. On the other hand, under lubricated conditions with castor oil and a synthetic gear oil, 60NiTi exhibits low specific wear rates. These results exhibit the importance of proper lubrication in sliding mode applications where 60NiTi is exploited as a wear-resistant alloy.     

Influence of graphite content on the dry sliding and oil impregnated sliding wear behavior of Al 2024–graphite composites produced by in situ powder metallurgy method

The influence of graphite content on the dry sliding and oil impregnated sliding wear characteristics of sintered aluminum 2024 alloy–graphite (Al/Gr) composite materials has been assessed using a pin-on-disc wear test. The composites with 5–20 wt.% flake graphite particles were processed by in situ powder metallurgy technique. For comparison, compacts of the base alloy were made under the same consolidation processing applied for Al/Gr composites. The hardness of the sintered materials was measured using Brinell hardness tester and their bending strength was measured by three-point bending tests. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the debris, wear surfaces and fracture surfaces of samples. It was found that an increase in graphite content reduced the coefficient of friction for both dry and oil impregnated sliding, but this effect was more pronounced in dry sliding. Hardness and fracture toughness of composites decreased with increasing graphite content. In dry sliding, a marked transition from mild to severe wear was identified for the base alloy and composites. The transition load increased with graphite content due to the increased amount of released graphite detected on the wear surfaces. The wear rates for both dry and oil impregnated sliding were dependent upon graphite content in the alloy. In both cases, Al/Gr composites containing 5 wt.% graphite exhibited superior wear properties over the base alloy, whereas at higher graphite addition levels a complete reversal in the wear behavior was observed. The wear rate of the oil impregnated Al/Gr composites containing 10 wt.% or more graphite particles were higher than that of the base alloy. These observations were rationalized in terms of the graphite content in the Al/Gr composites which resulted in the variations of the mechanical properties together with formation and retention of the solid lubricating film on the dry and/or oil impregnated sliding surfaces.     

载荷与滑动速度对铜合金磨损的影响

对热型连续定向凝固工艺生产的Cu-0．1Ag合金进行干滑动摩擦磨损实验并将该材料与耐磨性较好的单晶铜进行对比实验。分析讨论载荷、滑动速度等因素对该材料磨损率及磨损表面的影响。实验结果表明：滑动距离、滑动速度对铜合金的磨损有较大影响,而且铜合金的抗磨性能明显优于耐磨性较好的单晶铜。     

Effects of Iron,Manganese, and Cooling Rate on Microstructure and Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of LM13 Aluminum Alloy

The presence of Fe in eutectic Al-Si alloy can give rise to formation of a β-Al₅FeSi needle-like phase because of low solubility of Fe in this alloy. The brittle nature of this phase leads to decreased mechanical properties of piston alloys, one of which is wear resistance. In this research, to modify β-Fe morphology, Sr and Mn elements were added to the samples prepared from LM13 containing different amounts of Fe. The effect of cooling rate on wear properties of this alloy was also investigated. Results show that the addition of Mn/Fe at aratio of 1/2 can modify the needle-like intermetallics present in the samples containing up to 1.2 wt% Fe. In addition, increasing the cooling rate from 3 to 15°C s^?1 refined the eutectic structure and the intermetallics. Hence, it can be considered as another important factor to improve the wear properties of LM13 alloy. To study the wear behavior of this alloy, worn surface and subsurface areas were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) analyzer.     

Wear characteristics of titanium alloy Ti54 for cryogenic sliding applications

Cryogenic wear behaviour of Ti-5Al-4V-0.6Mo-0.4Fe (Ti54) alloy sliding against tungsten carbide is investigated at different speeds, loads and distances. Empirical models based RSM are developed to predict wear characteristics of Ti54 alloy as a function of sliding conditions. It is found that experimental and predicted results are in good agreement. Besides, cryogenic wear is substantially lower than dry wear. SEM and EDS analyses of worn surfaces and wear debris reveal that cryogenic sliding is significantly influenced by changing material properties along with boundary lubrication performance. The study has shown that modes in dry sliding are adhesion and delamination whereas in cryogenic sliding they are abrasion and delamination.     

Dry wear and friction properties of an A356/SiC foam interpenetrating phase composite

The dry sliding wear and friction behaviors of A356 aluminum alloy and a hybrid composite of A356 aluminum alloy and silicon carbide foam in the form of an interpenetrating phase composite were evaluated using a ball-on-disk apparatus at ambient conditions. The stationary 6.35 mm alumina ball produced a wear track (scar) diameter of 7 mm on the rotating specimen surface. Three different loads; 5 N, 10 N and 20 N were applied at a constant sliding speed of 33 mm/s for both materials. Wear tracks were characterized with a scanning electron microscope and measured with an optical surface profilometer. In general, this novel A356/SiC foam composite reduced the friction coefficient and wear rate from that of the base alloy for all loading conditions. In addition, as the load increased, the friction coefficient and wear rate decreased for both materials. The results indicate the composite could be used in light-weight applications where moderate strength and wear properties are needed.     

Effects of Contact Pressure and Sliding Speed on the Unlubricated Friction and Wear Properties of Zn-15Al-3Cu-1Si Alloy

The unlubricated friction and wear properties of Zn-15Al-3Cu-1Si alloy were studied over a range of contact pressure (1–5 MPa) and sliding speed (0.5–2.5 ms^?1) for a sliding distance of 2,500 m using a block-on-disc type test machine. It was observed that as the contact pressure increased, the friction coefficient of the alloy decreased but its working temperature, surface roughness, and wear volume increased. Sliding speed had no significant effect on the friction coefficient of the alloy but increased its working temperature, surface roughness, and wear volume. It was also observed that the formation of a hard and brittle surface layer had a great influence on the wear behavior of the experimental alloy. The hardness and thickness of this layer increased with increasing contact pressure and sliding speed. However, contact pressure was found to be much more effective on the hardness of the surface layer of this alloy. Both adhesion and abrasion were observed to be the dominant wear mechanisms for the alloy under the given sliding conditions. The results obtained from the friction and wear tests are discussed in terms of the test conditions and microstructural changes that take place during sliding.     

Mechanism of abrasive wear of Al-Si hypoeutectic alloycontaining 5 vol% fly ash

Fly ash, an inexpensive resource material, has been introducedinto Al-Si hypoeutectic alloy (A356) to make low-cost compositeswith decreased density and improved hardness and abrasive wearbehavior. The mechanisms of abrasive wear of stir-cast A356-5vol% fly ash composite were discussed based on the results ofwear tests of composites and the A356 base alloy. Scanningelectron microscopy was used to investigate the morphology ofthe worn surfaces, wear debris for both composite and A356 basealloy. The subsurface of the worn samples was also observed.These morphology observations provide a method to understand theabrasive wear and friction mechanism of the composites showing that the base alloy wears primarily by microcutting but thecomposite wears by microcutting and delamination caused by crackpropagation below the rubbing surface through interfaces of flyash and silicon particles with the matrix.