Wear behavior of chilled (metallic and non-metallic) aluminum alloy–glass particulate composite

The present investigation aims at producing cast aluminum alloy–glass particulate composites in moulds containing metallic and non-metallic chills by dispersing glass particles in a molten aluminum alloy above the liquidus temperature, the size of the particles dispersed being between 20 and 50 μm. The dispersoid being added ranged from 3 to 9 vol.% in steps of 3 vol.%. The resulting composites cast using chills were tested for their wear behavior. Results of the investigation indicate that: (1) the wear resistance of chilled Al–glass composites were remarkably improved by adding glass particles. The effect of the amount of glass content up to 3 vol.% can be ignored until the sliding speed of 0.52 m/s. (2) From the SEM structure studies, wear surfaces of 6 vol.% glass composite, chilled using copper chill at low sliding speed, showed a slight groove formation more than those of the matrix alloy. (3) The strength and wear resistance of the composite developed is highly dependent on the location of the casting, from where the test specimens are taken, and also on the dispersoid content of the composite. (4) Chill thickness and chill material, however, do significantly affect the strength and wear resistance of the composite.