Wear analysis of A357 aluminium alloy under fretting

Many industrial applications have to resolve problems of mechanical contacts especially in presence of vibrations, which induce fretting loading. This is so for the aeronautical industry, when aluminium alloys are brought into contact with steel components. This work analyses the fretting wear of an aluminium alloy (A357) in contact with 52100 steel. A displacement threshold was identified marking a transition between smooth and high wear regime. In order to explain this transition, an original study was carried out. The effect of sliding velocity was investigated. Different values were tested. It was shown that this wear transition is related to a critical displacement, independent of the frequency and the sliding velocity for the conditions investigated. Tests over various numbers of cycles were carried out, which showed structural transformations in the contact area. We investigated the relationship between these transformations and the displacement amplitude.