Influence of load and temperature on the dry sliding wear behavior of aluminium-Ni sub(3)Al composites

The suitability of Ni sub(3)Al intermetallics as reinforcements for Al-base materials for tribological application has been investigated. For this purpose, an Al/Ni sub(3)Al (5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt%) composite is prepared by powder metallurgy techniques and tested on a pin-on-ring apparatus. The effects of the applied load (83-150 N) and temperature (25-150 degree C) at a constant sliding velocity of 0.4 m/s on the wear behavior of Al-Ni sub(3)Al composites and wear mechanisms during dry sliding are investigated. The worn surfaces are examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). It is found that the wear resistance of Al-Ni sub(3)Al composites decreased with increasing load and with an increasing fraction of reinforcement Ni sub(3)Al particles. With an increasing fraction of Ni sub(3)Al particles, the wear resistance of the composites increased at higher test temperatures, but not at lower test temperatures, and generally with increasing test temperatures, the weight loss of composite materials increased slightly. It is also observed that a significant amount of Fe-rich oxide particles become incorporated into the Al matrix during wear, forming a tribolayer.