Open AccessSliding wear behavior of AZ91/B4C surface composites produced by friction stir processing
Author(s) -
Hemendra Patle,
B. Ratna Sunil,
Ravikumar Dumpala
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
materials research express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.383
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2053-1591
DOI - 10.1088/2053-1591/ab6a55
Subject(s) - materials science , tribometer , reciprocating motion , abrasive , friction stir processing , scanning electron microscope , composite material , composite number , base metal , alloy , adhesive wear , boron carbide , tribology , metallurgy , bearing (navigation) , cartography , welding , geography
In the present study, the surface of AZ91 Mg alloy was modified by incorporating boron carbide (B 4 C) particles using friction stir processing (FSP). Sliding wear behavior of these developed AZ91/B 4 C surface composites was investigated against AISI 52100 steel ball using linear reciprocating tribometer. Hardness tests reveal that the hardness of the fabricated surface composite (∼137.47 HV) is significantly increased compared to the base metal (∼95.5 HV) due to the presence of B 4 C particles. Wear tests were conducted on the samples at two different sliding velocities; 0.06 m s −1 and 0.12 m s −1 . It was observed that at higher sliding velocity of 0.12 m s −1 , AZ91/B 4 C surface composite exhibited lower friction coefficient value in comparison to that of the base metal, whereas it is vice versa at the low sliding velocity of 0.06 m s −1 . However, surface composites exhibited superior wear resistance at both the sliding velocities, in comparison to that of the base metal. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis of the wear tracks were carried out to understand the wear mechanisms. From the observations, a combination of abrasive, adhesive, and oxidative wear mechanisms were found to be prominent.