Microstructure and the wear mechanism of grain-refined aluminum during dry sliding against steel disc

Abstract

This article discusses on the influence of grain refinement on the wear mechanism of commercially pure Al. In this work, commercially pure Al, grain refined using Al-Ti, Al-Ti-B grain refiner master alloys, prior to casting. These castings after machining have been subjected to dry-sliding wear against high-chromium hardened steel disc at a constant load of 50 N and speed of 1 m s^-1. The effect of grain refinement of aluminum on its wear behavior has been investigated. The sub-surface and the worn surfaces of the specimens were characterized in order to understand the wear behavior of aluminum against steel disc. Although it has been found that wear mechanism of aluminum is same for both untreated and grain refined, untreated aluminum exhibits higher wear loss than that of grain-refined aluminum. The results also show that grain refinement has a significant effect on the transfer of Fe from the steel disc to the worn surface and sub-surface of Al specimens.