Establishing high temperature tribological performance and wear mechanism map of engineered in-situ TiB2 reinforced Mg-RE metal matrix composites

The high temperature sliding wear behavior of microstructurally engineering in-situ sub-micron sized TiB2 reinforced ZE41 composite was studied and compared with it’s base counterpart at varying loading conditions. The wear mechanism maps were constructed by correlating the microstructures of worn surfaces with different test parameters. The severe and catastrophic wear mechanisms like delamination and melt wear were wider in base and composite, while in the case of engineered composite, these zones are significantly narrow down. Due to the presence of thermally stable in-situ TiB2 particles and bimodal precipitates in engineered composite, the material showed sufficient resistance against wear induced deformation. Furthermore, the study established scientific knowhow on high-temperature wear induced deformation behavior by analyzing microstructural evolution in wear subsurface zone. [Display omitted] •Four optimal microstructures are created in ZE41 alloy for high-temperature wear.•ZE41 matrix composite engineered with in-situ nano TiB2 and bimodal precipitates.•Wear mechanism maps developed to identify wear mechanisms in all four materials.•Investigating wear subsurface microstructure evolution via deformation mechanisms.