Evaluation of wear characteristics of Al3Tip/Mg composite

The dry sliding wear tests were performed for a novel developed Al3Tip/Mg composite under the ambient temperatures at 25–200 °C and the loads of 25–150 N. The wear rate of the composite increased with increasing the load, but reduced with increasing the ambient temperature. The Al3Tip/Mg composite had relatively lower wear rates than AZ91D alloy under the loads of less than 100 N at 25 °C. At 200 °C, the Al3Tip/Mg composite presented an absolutely higher wear resistance than AZ91D alloy, and the mild-severe wear transition was delayed. These were attributed to Al3Ti particulates and the mechanical mixing layer formed on the worn surfaces, which hindered the plastic deformation and thermal softening of the matrix. The mechanical mixing layer contained MgO, Fe–Ti–O, Al3Ti, Mg17Al12 and Mg and thickened with increasing the ambient temperature. The predominant wear mechanisms of the composite were oxidation wear and delamination wear.