Dry sliding wear behaviour of aluminum alloy 2014 microalloyed with Sn andAg

In situ microalloying of P/M 2014 was conducted using a recently developed reaction sintering technique. Using this method, samples were microalloyed with either Sn or Ag, aged to peak hardness, and subjected to dry sliding w ear tests in accordance with ASTM standards. Tests were characterized throu gh weight loss measurements, and wear tracks and debris were examined using XRD and SEM/EDS. Weight loss vs. load data indicated that all wear tests w ere within the mild wear regime. A comparison between wrought and P/M 2014, suggested that the former was a slightly more wear resistant material. Sn modified samples were found to be superior to all tested, including wrought and P/M standard samples. For any given sample type, the greatest differen ce in weight loss as a function of sintering time, was consistently noted a t an applied load of 20 N. At this load, alloy standards exhibited decreasi ng we:tr resistance with sintering time due to microstructural coarsening. In contrast, Sn, and to a lesser extent Ag, microalloyed samples developed improved wear resistance with sintering time, presumably due to an increase d extent of microalloying. Thus, it is suggested that the fabrication techn ique is appropriate for microalloying P/M 2014 where enhanced wear resistan ce would be of importance. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.