Study the effect of SiC content on the wear behavior and mechanism of as‐extruded SiCp/Al–Cu–Mg–Zn alloy under simulating drilling operation

The Al–Cu–Mg–Zn alloys reinforced with 2.5 wt%, 4.5 wt% and 6.5 wt% SiC particles were prepared by the technology of vacuum casting, homogenization and hot extrusion. Hence, an extruded SiCp/Al–Cu–Mg–Zn with well‐distributed SiC particles was obtained for the research. The effect of SiC content on the wear behavior between SiCp/Al–Cu–Mg–Zn and P110 casing steel was studied by using block‐on‐ring sliding abrasion tester under drilling fluid condition. The results showed that the wear rate of 6.5%SiCp/Al–Cu–Mg–Zn reduced by 80%, compared with the extruded Al–Cu–Mg–Zn alloy. Furthermore, the wear behavior of SiCp/Al–Cu–Mg–Zn was studied by using dynamic load impact tester with the silica sand used as abrasive. The results showed that the wear rate of 6.5%SiCp/Al–Cu–Mg–Zn reduced by 17%, compared with the extruded Al–Cu–Mg–Zn alloy. The overall results indicated that the 6.5%SiCp/Al–Cu–Mg–Zn could be considered as a potential drill pipe material, which has higher wear resistance compared with the Al–Cu–Mg–Zn alloy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.