An examination of the evidence of abrasive wear in the wearing process of aluminium reinforced with slag particles using SEM

Abstract

The two-body abrasive wear behavior of pure aluminum reinforced with slag particles has been investigated. The aluminum matrix composites were fabricated by powder metallurgy technique by mixing pure aluminum with slag particles in proportion of 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt. % of slag. Using a pin-on-disc wear apparatus, the two body abrasion tests were carried out against silicon carbide abrasives with three different grit sizes (P400, P600 and P800). The wear tests were conducted at a sliding speed of 0.39 m/s and normal load of 11 N. The dominant wear mechanisms were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. The crack around slag particles increased particle pull out resulted to presence of debris on the sliding contact surface. Abrasive wear mechanism was dominant during sliding wear process due to grooving and plowing on the worn surfaces.