| Abstract: | Improvement of Wear Resistance of Al-materials Wear behaviour of ductile materials can be improved by embedding suitable hard particles of appropriate size. With the Al materials tested here, embedding was achieved by extrusion of the powder mixtures. Wear resistance of the materials thus produced was determined using pin-disc and Klüber testers, commercially available fine grinding discs being used as abrasive partners. Thus, the effect of various parameters on wear behaviour and mechanical strength could be investigated. The mechanical properties are generally deteriorated by embedding hard particles, the amount of embedded material being of primary importance, but there is also a profound influence of the matrix-particle interface strength and, to a lesser degree, of particle size and shape. With regard to the wear resistance, the hard particles result in the desired improvement which is the more pronounced the higher the particle content and hardness. Even at low interface strength the particles are not torn of the matrix during wear stress. At lower matrix hardness (plain Al, Al alloys) better wear resistance is observed, as the abraded particles are more effectively rembedded and thus protect the matrix from wear. If suitable materials are used, excellent wear resistance combined with only insignificantly lowered mechanical strength is obtained. |
