Improving tribological behavior of friction stir processed A413/SiCp surface composite using MoS2 lubricant particles

The effect of MoS₂ lubricant particles on the microstructure, microhardness and tribological behavior of A413/SiC_p surface composite, fabricated via friction stir processing (FSP), was studied. For this purpose, the FSP was carried out with tool rotational speed of 1600 r/min, tool travel speed of 25 mm/min and tool tilt angle of 3° through only a “single pass”. The optical and scanning electron microscopies, microhardness and reciprocating wear tests were used to characterize the samples. The results showed that the addition of MoS₂ lubricant particles to A413/SiC_p surface composite leads to the decrease of friction coefficient and mass loss. In fact, the generation of mechanically mixed layer (MML) containing MoS₂ lubricant particles in A413/SiC_p/MoS_2p surface hybrid composite results in the reduction of metal-to-metal contact and subsequently leads to the improvement of tribological behavior.