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Abstract
In present paper, the influence of copper on wear-friction behaviour of hypereutectic AlSi alloy (Al18% Si0.5% Mg) has been
investigated. Sliding tests were conducted under dry sliding conditions against hardened steel En-31 counter surface over a range of sliding
speed from 2.0 to 7.0 m/s and contact load from 10 to 80 N. It was observed that the wear rate is a function of contact load, sliding speed,
composition and thermal softening characteristics of sliding metal. Wear of hypereutectic aluminiumsilicon alloy is not appreciably
affected with the addition of copper. However, addition of copper increases the transition load at 2.0 m/s sliding speed. Copper addition
more than 2%, did not show any effect on the transition load.
2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Sliding speed; Contact load; Interface temperature; Microstructures; Mild oxidative wear and severe wear
1. Introduction
The wear of components made of AlSi alloys depend
on number of material related parameters, i.e. shape, size,
composition and distribution of micro constituents in addition to the operating conditions such as load, sliding speed,
temperature, environment and counter surface [13]. Various researchers [26] have observed that increase in normal
load increases the wear rate. As load is increased the oxide film becomes increasingly sensitive to bulk failure and
transition to severe wear may take place [46]. In recent
studies [2,710] on wear behaviour of cast aluminium alloys has been explained in light of subsurface deformation.
Venkataraman and Sundararajan [7] reported that friction
and wear behaviour of Al, Al-7075 alloy and AlSiC can be
best understood in terms of the formation and fracture rate
of the mechanically mixed layer (MML) rather than the bulk
properties of the material. Perrin and Rainforth [9] have reported that there is direct relationship between the wear rate
and depth of subsurface damage. In low-pressure conditions,
wear does not show much change with the variation in alloy
composition or sliding speed and wear is primarily controlled by removal of oxide in form of wear debris. Tribological layer generically, leads to a significant difference in
the wear response since the properties of the layer differ from
those of the bulk. Wear rate is governed by the near-surface
properties and so the tribological layer plays a critical role
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: dkd@recham.ernet.in (D.K. Dwivedi).
0924-0136/$ see front matter 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2004.04.379
324
D.K. Dwivedi et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 152 (2004) 323328
Fig. 2. Weight loss vs. copper content relationship under varying loads
at 2.0 m/s sliding speed.
Fig. 3. Wear rate vs. load relationship for alloy with varying percentage
of copper at 2.0 m/s sliding speed.
D.K. Dwivedi et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 152 (2004) 323328
325
Fig. 4. Wear rate vs. sliding speed relationship for alloy with varying
percentage of copper at 50 N load.
Fig. 6. SEM images of worn out surface of (a) alloy with 0% copper
after sliding 2.0 m/s speed and 50 N load, (b) alloy with 0% copper after
sliding at 2.0 m/s speed and 70 N load and (c) alloy with 2% copper after
sliding at 50 N load and 5.0 m/s sliding.
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D.K. Dwivedi et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 152 (2004) 323328
Fig. 7. SEM images of wear debris generated after sliding of alloy with
2% copper at 50 N load and (a) 2.0 m/s and (b) and 5.0 m/s sliding speed.
D.K. Dwivedi et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 152 (2004) 323328
Table 1
Interface temperature ( C) for all alloy compositions as a function of (a)
load at 2.0 m/s sliding speed and (b) sliding speed at 50 N load
(a) Load (N)
10
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
Cu
20
30
38
45
68
36
42
64
35
41
62
35
40
60
35
40
60
35
41
61
(b) Sliding speed (m/s)
50
98
90
88
87
86
88
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
98
90
88
87
86
88
112
110
107
105
104
104
122
118
116
120
120
120
145
155
156
160
165
163
70
80
130
98
95
93
94
95
150
110
105
103
103
104
70 N was noticed at 2.0 m/s sliding speed when rise in interface temperature just up to approx. 100 C took place.
Oxidation and thermal softening of material with rise in
interface temperature are two main factors, which control
the wear and friction response against given counter surface.
Oxide film may or may not be beneficial from friction and
wear point of view. In case when oxide film is ductile, thick,
continuous and adhered to the surface it reduces the direct
metallic contact, hence friction and wear, where as brittle
and discrete oxide film is detrimental because it acts as hard
impurity or particle (third body) between mating surfaces.
Heat generated at high load causes more oxidation but that
is counteracted by continuous fracture under those conditions [18]. Addition of copper hardens the matrix and makes
surface more coherent and strong. Stable and coherent surface reduces the abrasion and effectively transfers the load
without causing gross plastic flow in surface region, which
destabilises the surface, and bring in metallic wear conditions. Therefore, mild oxidative wear conditions are maintained up to 80 N load in the alloys with copper (Fig. 3).
Increase in copper content also increases the surface oxidation, which may be attributed to little increase in wear rate
at higher % of copper. As material removal at low loads
and sliding speed primary takes place due to oxidation and
fracture of oxide film. It shows that copper acts in two different ways: (a) increases the hardness of matrix and makes
it more coherent which reduces the abrasion and increases
the transition load; (b) increases the oxidation of sliding surface and hence wear rate in mild oxidative wear regime (low
loads and speeds) [19]. Metallic wear occurs by one of the
following two mechanisms. Material may extrude out from
the sides of the contact giving rise to thin slivers which, subsequently, separate to produce wear debris. Fracture plays
no intrinsic role in the wear process, and occurs only in the
separation of wear debris which would otherwise remain attached to the sides of the contact. The second mechanism
327
is the fracture of surface material, causing a piece of material to leave the surface as wear debris. This is the so-called
delamination wear [12].
Thermal softening of the materials owing to temperature
rise beyond the limits makes the surface unable to transfer
the load in subsurface region without gross plastic deformation/flow. Dwivedi [2,3] and Lingaurd et al. [11] have
noticed that if large-scale plastic deformation at the surface does not take place than oxidative wear is maintained.
At comparatively low temperature increased hardness and
strength due to addition of copper resists the yielding of asperities and gross plastic deformation in near-surface layer
that makes oxide film more stable. Critical speed (speed at
which transition from mild to severe wear occurs) does not
increase with the addition of copper possibly due to the fact
that high temperature hardness of this alloy is not affect by
copper additions. However, additions of copper increases in
transition load. It may be attributed to increase in hardness
(at low temperature) with addition of copper due to solid
solution strengthening and formation of inter-metallic compound CuAl2 . Increased oxidation of alloy surface with copper addition may be attributed to little decreases in friction
coefficient. Increase in sliding speed increases the interface
temperature that may promote the surface oxidation and reduce the direct metallic contact hence friction coefficient
[13,17,19].
4. Conclusions
I. Increase in load increases the wear gradually in mild
wear regime and beyond certain critical load (transition
load) wear increases abruptly.
II. Transition load of hypereutectic alloy increases with the
addition of copper.
III. Addition of copper does not affect the oxidative wear
resistance appreciably at low loads; however, alloy with
higher percentage of copper (35%) is subjected increased wear rate especially at higher loads.
IV. There is a critical sliding speed (at a given load) for
each alloy at which transition from mild to severe wear
takes place. This critical speed is not affected with the
addition of copper in hypereutectic alloy.
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