Wear of SiC-reinforced Al-matrix composites in the temperature range 20-200 degrees C

The influence of temperature on wear resistance was studied in a 2618 Al alloy reinforced with 1.5 vol% SiC particulates and the corresponding unreinforced alloy in the temperature range 20-200 degrees C. A transition from mild to severe wear (shown by an increase of two orders of magnitude in the wear rates) was observed in both materials beyond a critical temperature. The addition of the SiC particulates improved the wear resistance by a factor of two in the mild wear region, and the transition temperature, which was around 50 degrees C higher in the composite. This higher transition temperature was due to the retention of the mechanical properties in the composite at elevated temperature. Heat treatments (either natural or artificial aging) did not modify substantially the wear resistance of either the composite or the unreinforced alloy.