Effect of Sn addition on microstructure and dry sliding wear behaviors of hypereutectic aluminum–silicon alloy A390

• Published in: Journal of materials science Vol. 46; no. 22; pp. 7319 - 7327
• Main Authors: Wu, X. F., Zhang, G. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.11.2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abrasion; Abrasion resistance; Abrasive wear; Adhesive wear; Aging (metallurgy); Alloying additive; Alloys; Aluminum base alloys; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Classical Mechanics; Coalescing; Crack propagation; Crystallography and Scattering Methods; Disintegration; Energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy; Fatigue cracks; Fatigue wear; Frictional wear; Grain boundaries; Heat treatment; Materials Science; Metal fatigue; Microstructure; Morphology; Optical microscopes; Phases; Polymer Sciences; Precipitates; Scanning electron microscopy; Silicon; Silicon alloys; Sliding friction; Solid Mechanics; Solid solutions; Specialty metals industry; Spheroidizing; Tin; Wear; Wear mechanisms; Wear Surface; A390 Alloy; Adhesive Wear; Primary Silicon; Wear Rate
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1007/s10853-011-5693-3

In this study, the effect of Sn addition on the microstructure and dry sliding wear behaviors of as-cast and heat-treated hypereutectic A390 alloys was investigated. The microstructural features of the alloys were characterized by means of optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques and their wear characteristics were evaluated at different loads. The worn morphologies of the wear surface were examined by SEM. The results show that the β-Sn in as-cast A390 alloy precipitates mainly in the form of particles within the Al 2 Cu network on the interface of the eutectic silicon and α-Al phases and the grain boundaries of α-Al phase. The addition of Sn promotes the disintegrating and spheroidizing of both the eutectic and primary silicon of the A390 alloy during solid solution-aging treatment and β-Sn phase grains coalesces and grows, and some of them form the structure of Sn wrapping Si. The wear rates and friction factors of the as-cast and heat-treated A390 alloys with Sn are lower than those without Sn. At lower load, the addition of Sn changes the wear mechanism of as-cast A390 alloy from the combination of abrasive and adhesive wear without Sn into a single mild abrasion wear with Sn; at higher load, the wear of as-cast A390 alloy without Sn includes abrasion, adhesive, and fatigue one, while the addition of Sn effectively restrains the net-like cracks on the worn surface of the alloy and avoids the fatigue wear emerged.