MODELING STEADY WEAR OF STEEL AL2O3-AL PARTICLE-REINFORCED COMPOSITE SYSTEM/

Considering that harder asperities on one surface would plastically de form the contact areas of a softer counterpart surface, a theoretical model has been developed to describe the steady sliding wear in a syst em of an alumina particle reinforced aluminium metal matrix composite pin on a steel disk. The model predicts that the volumetric wear of th e pin-on-disk system is proportional to the applied load, and depends on the particle volume fraction of the composite and the relative hard ness of the rubbing pair. Experimental results obtained from the stead y wear of a particulate Al2O3-6061 Al composite/carbon steel system ar e in reasonably good agreement with theoretical predictions. However, many more experimental data are needed to confirm the general applicab ility of the proposed wear model for metal matrix composites. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.