Effect of Graphite Particle Reinforcement On Dry Sliding Wear of Sic GR Al Composites
Effect of Graphite Particle Reinforcement On Dry Sliding Wear of Sic GR Al Composites
Effect of Graphite Particle Reinforcement On Dry Sliding Wear of Sic GR Al Composites
Cite this article as: Rare Metal Materials and Engineering, 2009, 38(11): 1894−1898. ARTICLE
Abstract: The 40%SiC/5%Gr/Al composites with various-sizes graphite addition were fabricated by squeeze casting technology,
and their friction and wear properties were investigated. Results showed that after the addition of graphite the friction coefficient of
composites decreased and the wear resistance increased by 170 to 340 times. In addition, wear resistance was improved with in-
creasing of graphite particle size, which is attributed to the enhancement of integrity of lubrication tribo-layer composed of a com-
plex mixture of iron oxides, graphite as well as fractured SiC particles and some fine particles containing aluminum.
Metal matrix composites (MMCs) have been used in the ence of the graphite on wear properties were also found in the
aerospace, aircraft and automotive industries because they literatures. Biswas and Pramila Bai[13] showed that unrein-
possess many potential advantages over monolithic materials, forced Ai-Si had better wear properties than those with 2.7%
including higher specific strength and stiffness, higher wear to 5.7% graphite. Ted Guo et al. [14] found that the wear resis-
resistance, higher thermal conductivity, lower coefficient of tance of SiC/Al composite was superior to those with 2vol%,
thermal expansion etc.[1-4]. Usually,SiC or Al2O3 in the form of 5vol% and 8vol% graphite content and concluded that the
either particles or whiskers is used as reinforcement in most degradation of the fracture toughness of the composites with
MMCs. The presence of hard, brittle and abrasive ceramic re- graphite outweighed the beneficial effects of reduced friction
inforcement gives rise to rapid tool wear upon using traditional coefficient. Therefore,the influence of the graphite on wear
manufacturing process[5-8]. An alternative approach to the pro- properties of composites is necessary to be discussed further.
duction of SiCp/Al composites with improved machinability is Moreover, relatively little information about the effect of
to incorporate soft graphite particles in the composites. Leng graphite particles on wear properties is available.
and Wu showed a 20%-50% decrease in the tool wear with an In the present study, squeeze casting technology was suc-
increase in graphite content in SiC/Al composites[9]. In addi- cessfully used to fabricate SiC/Gr/Al composites, and the ef-
tion, some researchers indicated that the graphite added into fect of graphite on friction coefficients as well as wear resis-
SiC/Al composites could improve wear resistance and reduced tance of the resultant composites was investigated.
the coefficient of friction[10-14]. Ames and Alpas[11] compared
1 Experimental
the wear properties of 20% SiC-3% (or 10%) Gr-Al compos-
ites with 20%SiC-A356 composite at different loads and ob- Dry sliding wear tests were performed on the samples made
served that the 20%SiC-3% (or 10%) Gr-Al composite had of SiC/Gr/Al composites and SiC/Al composite, and the asso-
lower wear rate over entire load range. Riahi and Alpas[12] pro- ciated material properties are given in Table 1. The nominal
vided the sliding wear diagram of A356 Al-10%SiC-4%Gr and composition of the 2024Al was 4.79% (mass fraction the
A356 Al-5%Al2O3-4%Gr composites, and showed that the same hereafter) Cu, 1.49%Mg, 0.611%Mn, 0.245%Fe,
formation of tribo-layer delayed the mild wear transition to the 0.168%Si, 0.068Zn, 0.046%Ti, 0.013%Ni, 0.049%Cr and
severe. However, the contradictory results regarding the influ- balance in Al. The SiC particles with 3μm in size and 40%
volume fraction were used. The flake graphite with 1 μm, 6
Received date: November 30, 2008
Corresponding author: Leng Jinfeng, Candidate for Ph. D., Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, P. R. China, Tel: 0086-451-86412164, E-mail:
jfleng@126.com
Copyright © 2009, Northwest Institute for Nonferrous Metal Research. Published by Elsevier BV. All rights reserved.
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Leng Jinfeng et al. / Rare Metal Materials and Engineering, 2009, 38(11): 1894-1898
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Leng Jinfeng et al. / Rare Metal Materials and Engineering, 2009, 38(11): 1894-1898
500
490 Composite ring Al
480 Steel block
470
Intensity/a.u.
Wear Loss/mg
460
450 Si
O
5 Fe
C Cr
W
0
SiC/Al SiC/Gr(1μm)/Al SiC/Gr(6μm)/Al SiC/Gr(20μm)/Al 1 3 5 7 9
Energy/keV
Fig.3 Wear loss of the composites and counterfaces of wear process Fig.5 EDS analysis of the tribo-layer on the top surface of SiC/Gr
for SiC/Al and SiC/Gr/Al (20 μm)/Al
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Leng Jinfeng et al. / Rare Metal Materials and Engineering, 2009, 38(11): 1894-1898
sponding XRD analysis in Fig.6. In the XRD pattern, the dif- The integrity of tribo-layers depends upon the size of
fraction peaks of Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 were found in addition to Al, graphite addition, which is related to the formation mecha-
SiC, Gr and Fe diffraction peaks. It indicated that iron trans- nism of tribo-layers. According to previous research[16], the
formed from steel counterface was partially oxidized in the air metal around coarse graphite particles in the tribo-surface and
under friction heat during sliding, which was similar to those subsurface region was easily plastically deformed during
reported by Ames and Alpas [12]. Hence, the iron oxides and sliding. As a result, the coarse graphite particles were prefer-
graphite commonly acted as solid lubrication to reduce the entially squeezed onto the surface and tended to extend in
friction coefficient between the contact surfaces and wear of larger area on the surface by the sheared and the smeared be-
tribo-system. tween the mating surfaces. Therefore,SiC/Gr/Al composites
The effect of the size of graphite particle on the morphology with coarse graphite particles easily formed the tribo-layer on
of the worn surface is also shown in Fig.4. The worn surface the surface during sliding.
of SiC/Gr (1 μm)/Al composite was covered by a continuous Much aluminum was apt to adhere on the surfaces of steel
tribo-layer. Regions between smooth surfaces layers consisted by aid of friction heat and contact stress during sliding, as
of fine debris, as shown in Fig. 4b. In Fig.4c and 4d, with the shown in dark area of Fig.7. The worn surface of steel against
size of graphite addition up to 6 μm and 20 μm, the worn SiC/Al composite was almost entirely covered. While the
tracks were entirely covered by the tribo-layers, which demon- worn surface of steel against adhesion aluminum, which was
strated that the integrity of tribo-layers were enhanced with confirmed by the EDS SiC/Gr(20 μm)/Al composite was cov-
increasing of the size of graphite addition. It is clearly showed ered by a little adhesive aluminum alloy transferred from
that the existence of tribo-layer on the worn surface of composite surface. The formation of the gentle wear surface
SiC/Gr/Al composites has improved the wear resistance to is attributed to the formation of lubricate tribo-layer of com-
plastic deformation and scoring by reducing metal-metal di- posites ring surface.
rect contact between the sliding pairs. Consequently,
3 Conclusions
SiC/Gr/Al composite with coarse graphite particles exhibited
higher wear resistance than that with fine particles by the in- 1) With the addition of graphite, the friction coefficient of
tegrity improvement of tribo-layers. SiC/Al composites decreases and the wear resistance is sig-
nificantly increased by 170 to 340 times. Moreover, the wear
loss of counterface steel is decreased by a factor of about 2/3.
2) The wear resistance of SiC/Gr/Al composites increases
Fe3O4(222)
Al(111)
SiC(102)
SiC(110)
SiC(109)
SiC(202)
Al(220)
Al(311)
Fe3O4(400)
Fe3O4(331)
Fe2O3(116)
SiC(104)
Gr(002)
SiC(204)
Gr(004)
Fe(211)
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