Abrasive Wear Characteristics of Silicon Carbide Particle Reinforced Zinc Based Composite

Herein, abrasive wear characteristics of SiCp dispersed zinc-aluminum based composites have been analyzed under high-stress condition. The wear tests were conducted on a Pin-on-Disc machine at a constant linear velocity of 1.57 m/s in the applied load range of 1-7 N while the abrasive platform used is 600 grit emery paper. A matrix alloy was also characterized under identical conditions to assess the influence of the dispersoid (SiC) particle on the wear behaviour. Wear rate, frictional heating and friction coefficient are the focused parameters of the study. The base alloy used has a dendrite structure comprising of alpha-dendrites surrounded by an alpha + eta eutectoid and metastable epsilon phase in interdendritic regions. The composite shows similar features to those of the base alloy except the additional presence of the reinforcing SiC particles. The wear rate and friction coefficient decrease with increase in abrading distance while a reverse trend was observed in the case of frictional heating which gradually increases with the increase in abrading distance. Incorporation of SiC particles improves the wear resistance of the matrix alloy and increasing the percentage of SiC increases the frictional heating and reduces the friction coefficient of the test material. The wear mechanism has been understood through SEM examination of wear surface, subsurface, debris particles and degraded abrasive grit papers.