Effect of rare earth elements on tribological behaviour of magnesium alloys

Present investigation deals with the wear behaviour of conventional cast Mg-5% Sn and Mg-5% Sn-2% Mm (Mm is misch metal) (wt.%) alloys studied through pin-on-disc wear experiments at four different loading conditions under ambient temperature. This study reports the effects of external applied load on the dry sliding wear rate and co-efficient of friction of both the alloys. It has been investigated that the volumetric wear loss increases with increasing applied load. It has also been found that the wear rate of Mg-5% Sn-2% Mm alloy is less than that of Mg-5% Sn alloy. The wear mechanism has also been studied through extensive scanning electron microscopy imaging. It has been investigated that wear occurs by delamination of flakes and ploughing (i.e., asperities).