Effect of TiC nanoparticle on friction and wear properties of TiC/AA2219 nanocomposites and its strengthening mechanism

TiC nanoparticles reinforced 2219 aluminum matrix composites were successfully prepared by ultrasonic casting, followed by forging and T6 heat treatment. The friction and wear properties of the disc-to-column were studied under four separate normal values of 5, 10, 20 and 30 N. The increasing hardness value of the nanocomposite may be attributed to the large amount of TiC (i.e., 1.3 wt.% and 1.7 wt.%) introduced to the composites. The friction coefficient of the nanocomposite decreased with the increase of TiC nanoparticles (0–1.7 wt.%) under the same load. But the wear resistance of the TiC/AA2219 nanocomposite increased by 30%–90% as compared to the 2219 matrix alloy. And it decreased with the increasing load. The composite with 0.9 wt.% TiC produced the best results in terms of friction and wear because of its relatively higher hardness and perfect ability to retain a transfer layer of a comparatively larger thickness. On the wear surface, some Al 2 O 3 particles were found which aided in the development of protective shear regions and improved the wear resistance. The wear mechanism for the TiC/AA2219 nanocomposite was a combination of adhesive and oxidative wear, with the composites containing hard TiC nanoparticles being mainly abrasive.