Correlation of abrasive wear with microstructure and mechanical properties of pressure die-cast aluminum hard-particle composite

Aluminum hard particle composites were synthesized by the solidification processing technique and the composite melt was solidified using gravity and pressure die castings. An aluminum-silicon alloy (A 332.1) has been used as the matrix and silicon carbide particles (quantity: 10 wt pet, and size: 50 to 80 mum) have been used as reinforcement for synthesis of the composite. The microstructure of the pressure die cast composite is found to be finer than those of the gravity cast ones. Additionally the distribution of SiC particles in the Al alloy matrix is found to be more uniform in the pressure diecast composites compared to the gravity die-cast ones. The mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, hardness, and ductility are observed to be superior in the case of pressure die-cast composites compared to the gravity-cast one. The two-body abrasive wear resistance of the Al-composite is also noted to be greater in the pressure die-cast composite than in the gravity-cast one. The effects of injection pressure on the mechanical properties and wear resistance of the pressure die-cast composites are examined. It is observed that the wear resistance (inverse of wear rate), hardness, and strength of the Al-SiC composites increase with the increase in injection pressure during pressure die casting. This may be due to the finer microstructure, the absence of casting defects, and the stronger interfacial bonding between the matrix and hard dispersoid in pressure die-cast composites. The wear rate of the alloys and composites is studied as a function of their hardness, strength, and Young's modulus. It is noted that the wear rate is primarily controlled by hardness even though other mechanical properties influence the wear behavior of the materials to some extent. An attempt is made to establish an empirical relation to correlate the wear rate of material with the mechanical properties such as hardness, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation.