Heat treatment effect on the microstructure, tensile properties and dry sliding wear behavior of A356–10%B4C cast composites

In present paper, an attempt was made to examine the influence of T6 heat treatment (solution treatment at 540 °C for 5 h, quenching in hot water and artificial aging at 170 °C for 8 h) on the microstructure, tensile properties and dry sliding wear behavior of A356–10%B4C cast composites. The composite ingots were made by stir casting process. In this work, the matrix alloy and composite were characterized by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, tensile tests and conventional pin-on-disk experiment.