Dry sliding wear behaviour of AA 6351-ZrB2 in situ composite at room temperature

In the present work, AA 6351-xZrB2 [x = 0, 3, 6 and 9 weight percentage (wt.%)] in situ composites have been prepared by the reaction of mixture of K2ZrF6 and KBF4 with molten aluminium alloy at a reaction temperature of 850 °C. The in situ prepared composites were characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and microhardness analysis. The sliding wear properties of the prepared composite at room temperature were estimated by a pin-on-disc wear testing equipment using the composite material; the pins were machined according to standard sizes, and the tests were conducted as per the standards recommended by the ASTM G99-95a designation of different weighing percentage at room temperature. The wear characteristics of the composite in the as-cast, the solutionized and the solutionized-aged conditions were studied by conducting sliding wear test at the load of 9.81 N. The results indicated that the wear rate was decreased with an increase in the weight percentage of ZrB2 and the wear resistance was increased with an increase in the fraction of ZrB2 particulates in composite before and after heat treatment.