ABRASIVE WEAR OF ALUMINA FIBER-REINFORCED ALUMINUM

The friction and abrasive wear behaviour of an Al-Si1MgMn aluminium alloy reinforced with 10, 15 and 30 vol.% of alumina fibres have been evaluated. The influence of fibre content, matrix hardness, applied load as well as the hardness and size of the abrasive grits was investigated. The tests were performed with a pin-on-drum two-body abrasion apparatus. The wear mechanisms were studied using scanning electron microscopy. It is shown that fibre reinforcement increases the wear resistance in milder abrasive situations, i.e. small and soft abrasives and low loads. However, in tougher abrasive situations, meaning coarse and hard abrasives and high loads, the wear resistance of the composites is equal to or, in some cases, even lower than that of the unreinforced material. It is also shown that the coefficient of friction decreases with increasing fibre content and matrix hardness of the composites.