The effects of the sliding speed on the volumetric wear rate and frictional force of a force-aged hypereutectic AlSiCu alloy

This study examines the impact of sliding speeds (ranging from 1–4 m/s) on the volumetric wear rate (VWR) and coefficient of friction (COF) of aged-hardened (for 1, 3, 5, and 7 hr aging time) Al-18Si-3.6Cu-0.36Ce alloy, when this is subjected to a dry sliding wear test on Pin-on Disk wear setup for a fixed sliding distance of 2000 meter at ambient temperature. The worn surfaces morphology was studied under scanning electron microscopic analyser. The test results demonstrate that the overall tribological performance of the alloy depending on the speed. At slower speeds, the friction rate is more likely to be affected by the load (1–4 kg) than the speed. The VWR ranges from 4 to 5.5mm³/m. As the sliding speed increased the higher wear temperatures developed between the tribo pairs will encourage the oxidation process of the wear debris, hence the wear rate and frictional forces steadily decreased by the thick oxide layer, the maximum interface temperature recorded during wear was 122°C. Forced aging (T6-treatment) an alloy was improved its microstructure as the P-Si and Al₂Cu precipitates formed in vast scale, and the alloy's hardness was increased by 30% (96–124.82HB).