Abrasive Wear Behavior of Al-4Cu-1.5Mg-WC Composites Synthesized through Powder Metallurgy

Different Al-4Cu-1.5Mg/WC composites were synthesized through powder metallurgy to establish the effect of WC particle addition on the abrasive wear behavior of an Al-4Cu-1.5Mg (wt. %) alloy. The wear tests were performed using a pin-on-disc tribometer at room temperature in dry conditions using SiC abrasive sandpaper as a counterbody and tribometer of linear configuration. The results showed that WC additions increase the hardness of the Al-4Cu-1.5Mg alloy due to the strengthening effect of particle dispersion in the aluminum matrix, which generates an improvement in the wear resistance of the composites by preventing direct contact of the sample with the counterbody, in turn delaying the plastic deformation phenomena responsible for the degradation sequence. In addition, the dominant wear mechanism was abrasive wear, and the increased friction coefficient did not bring a rapid wear rate, which was related to the enhanced deformation resistance due to the high hardness.