Wear and Friction Properties of Mg-Zn-Y Alloy with Dispersion of Quasi-Crystalline Phase

The wear and friction properties of the Mg-Zn-Y alloys with a dispersion of the quasi-crystalline phase were investigated using the pin-on-disk configuration. The wear loss rates and the friction coefficient were obtained to be 1.95 x 10(-5)mm(3)/mm and 0.26 in the casted alloy, 1.75 x 10(-5)mm(3)/mm and 0.24 in the heat-treated alloy, 2.40 x 10(-5)mm(3)/mm and 0.24 in the extruded alloy, respectively, under the dry wear condition. An effective method to enhance the wear properties in the magnesium alloys was determined to be a homogenous distribution of the quasi-crystalline phase in the coarse-grained matrix. Meanwhile, the grain refinement was not suitable due to grain boundary sliding, i.e., materials softening.