Dry sliding wear behaviour of aluminum alloy 2014 microalloyed with Sn and Ag

In situ microalloying of P/M 2014 was conducted using a recently developed reaction sintering technique. Using this method, samples were microalloyed with either Sn or Ag, aged to peak hardness, and subjected to dry sliding wear tests in accordance with ASTM standards. Tests were characterized through weight loss measurements, and wear tracks and debris were examined using XRD and SEM/EDS. Weight loss vs. load data indicated that all wear tests were within the mild wear regime. A comparison between wrought and P/M 2014, suggested that the former was a slightly more wear resistant material. Sn modified samples were found to be superior to all tested, including wrought and P/M standard samples. For any given sample type, the greatest difference in weight loss as a function of sintering time, was consistently noted at an applied load of 20 N. At this load, alloy standards exhibited decreasing we:tr resistance with sintering time due to microstructural coarsening. In contrast, Sn, and to a lesser extent Ag, microalloyed samples developed improved wear resistance with sintering time, presumably due to an increased extent of microalloying. Thus, it is suggested that the fabrication technique is appropriate for microalloying P/M 2014 where enhanced wear resistance would be of importance. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.