Effect of structural stiffness on impact-sliding wear behavior of aluminium alloy

Impact-sliding wear is a typical form of composite wear and occurs in many industrial equipment. The effects of structural stiffness on the impact-sliding wear damage and mechanisms of aluminum alloy were investigated using a bespoke impact-sliding device. The damage evolution and mechanisms of the impact-sliding wear for three different structural stiffness conditions were analyzed. Results showed that the main damage zone gradually shifted along the sliding direction with the increase in the structural stiffness. The wear damage of the material was higher for the low and high structural stiffness conditions and resulted in a very rough surface. However, for the medium structural stiffness, the impact-sliding wear exhibited a slow and linear increase and relatively smooth wear scars were observed. Moreover, the main wear mechanism transformed from delamination to ploughing as the structural stiffness increased.