DRY SLIDING WEAR BEHAVIOUR OF AZ31/ZrO2 COMPOSITES PRODUCED USING A STIR CASTING PROCESS

This study investigates the effect of ZrO2 reinforcement (5, 10 and 15) v/% on the dry sliding wear behaviour of AZ31 Mg al-loy composites produced using stir casting. The wear test (pin on disc) was conducted at different loads of (10, 20, 30 and 40) N and sliding velocities of (1, 3 and 5) m/s. The variation in the wear rate and friction co-efficient with the change in the load at a constant sliding distance was determined. Results showed that the composites exhibited a lower wear rate at higher loads and speeds compared to the AZ31 alloy. In particular, AZ31-15 v/% ZrO2 composite showed the lowest wear rate and friction coef-ficient. Different wear mechanisms operating during the wear test were investigated using SEM and XRD.