Effect of Ni on the wear behavior of a zinc-aluminum alloy

In this investigation, an attempt has been made to examine the effect of Ni on the wear response of a high-aluminum zinc alloy. The alloy has been modified with 0.3 and 0.9 wt% Ni, and wear tests have been carried out at sliding speeds of 3.925 and 6.54 m/s. The wear characteristics have been correlated with their microstructural features. The unmodified alloy exhibits inferior wear behavior with the increase in sliding speed. The improved wear response of the modified alloys is due to the presence of Ni3Al phase formed throughout the matrix. Moreover, the improvement of the modified alloy is more significant at the higher speed of sliding and also with the increase in Ni content. This study indicates that it is possible to develop modified versions of high-aluminum zinc-based alloys having much improved wear characteristics; the information gains special attention in view of the high speed of sliding used in this study. (C) 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.