Wear Behavior of a Novel Aluminum-Based Hybrid Composite

In the current research, the dry sliding wear behaviors of 6351 Al alloy and its composite with hybrid reinforcement (ex situ SiC and in situ Al₄SiC₄) were investigated at low sliding speed (1 m s⁻¹) against a hardened EN 31 disk at different loads. The wear mechanism involved adhesion and microcutting-abrasion at lower load. On the other hand, at higher load, abrasive wear involving microcutting and microplowing along with adherent oxide formation was observed. Initially, under higher load, the abrasive wear mechanism caused rapid wear loss up to a certain sliding distance. Afterward, by virtue of frictional heat generation and associated temperature rise, an adherent oxide layer was developed at the pin surface which drastically reduced the wear loss. The overall wear rate increased with load in alloy as well as in composite. Moreover, the overall wear rate of the composite was found lower than that of the 6351 Al alloy at all applied loads. The ex situ SiC particles were found to resist abrasive wear, while, in situ Al₄SiC₄ particles offered resistance to adhesive wear. Accordingly, the 6351 Al (SiC + Al₄SiC₄) hybrid composite exhibited superior wear resistance relative to the 6351 Al alloy.