Study on microstructure and abrasive wear behavior of sintered Al matrix composites

Abrasive wear behavior of ZrSiO4 reinforced aluminum metal matrix composite has been investigated in the present research. In general, composites offer superior wear resistance as compared to the alloy irrespective of applied load and zircon particles volume fraction. During sliding wear of the composite, a layer is formed over the specimen surface, which strongly dictates the wear behavior of the materials. It is believed that these layers are formed due to formation of wear debris, transfer of materials from the counter surfaces and mixing of these materials on the contact surfaces. The wear sliding test disclosed that the weight loss of the composites decreases with increasing volume fraction of zircon particulates. The composite samples were examined by X-ray diffraction technique and scanning electron microscopy which confirm the uniform distribution of zircon particles through the matrix. The hardness of the composite was affected significantly by the amount of porosity and reinforcement phase as two dominant factors.