Wear behavior of SiC particulate reinforced aluminum composites sliding against steel balls under dry and lubricated conditions

Wear behavior of Al-Si alloys reinforced with SiC particulate has been inve stigated under dry and lubricated reciprocating sliding conditions using a ball-on-block wear test method. It was shown that in the dry sliding wear o f the composite/steel ball system, the wear mechanism of the composite was predominantly adhesive. With further sliding motion, delamination and abras ive wear occurred as a result of fracture and debonding of the SiC particle s. Under lubricated conditions, the wear rate of the composite was drastica lly reduced due to the presence of the lubricant, and a boundary lubricatio n condition existed and dominated the normal wear process. The debonding of the SiC particles from the matrix of the composite was a predominant facto r in determining the wear loss of the composite in the boundary lubrication sliding process.