Wear and Corrosion Behavior of Functionally Graded Nano-SiC/2014Al Composites Produced by Powder Metallurgy

Functionally graded 2014Al/SiC composites (FGMs) with varying volume fractions (1-7%) of nano-SiC particulates (n-SiCp) were fabricated by powder metallurgy. The effect of n-SiCp content on corrosion and wear behaviors was studied. The microstructures of composites were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The corrosion behavior of the composites was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization scans in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Corrosion results show that corrosion current of composite layer with 3 vol.% n-SiC was much lower than that of 2014Al matrix. Mechanical properties of the composites were assessed by microhardness tests and ball-on-disk wear tests. As the applied load changed from 15 to 30 N, wear rates of the composites increased significantly and the wear mechanism transformed from mild to severe wear regime. It also shows that 3 vol.% n-SiCp/2014Al composite layer observed the lowest wear rate where adhesive and abrasive wear mechanisms played a major role. These results suggest that the n-SiCp are effective candidates for fabricating FGMs for the applications demanding a tough core and a hard, wear or corrosion resisting surface.