Wear and friction behavior of Al6061 alloy reinforced with carbon nanotubes

• Published in: Wear 2013-01, Vol.297 (1-2), p.752-761
• Main Authors: Al-Qutub, A.M., Khalil, A., Saheb, N., Hakeem, A.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abrasion; Abrasion resistance; Adhesion; Aluminum base alloys; Applied sciences; Ball milling; Carbon nanotubes; Contact of materials. Friction. Wear; Dispersion hardening metals; Exact sciences and technology; Fracturing; Friction; Mechanical properties and methods of testing. Rheology. Fracture mechanics. Tribology; Metal matrix composites; Metals. Metallurgy; Powder metallurgy. Composite materials; Powder processing; Production techniques; Wear; Wear rate; Wear resistance
• ISSN: 0043-1648; 1873-2577
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wear.2012.10.006

Friction and wear behavior of Al6061 monolithic alloy and 1wt% CNTs reinforced Al6061 composite prepared through ball milling and spark plasma sintering was investigated. It was found that, under mild wear conditions, the composite displayed lower wear rate and friction coefficient compared to the monolithic alloy. However, for severe wear conditions, the composite displayed higher wear rate and friction coefficient compared to the monolithic alloy. Analysis of worn surfaces revealed that, at lower loads, abrasion was the dominant wear mechanism for both materials. At higher loads, adhesion was found to be dominant for the monolithic alloy while excessive sub-surface fracturing and delamination were mainly observed for the composite. Also, it was clarified that the friction and wear behavior of Al–CNT composites is largely influenced by the applied load and there exists a critical load beyond which CNTs could have a negative impact on the wear resistance of aluminum alloy. ► Wear and friction behavior of Al6061 alloy and Al6061+1wt% CNT nanocomposite was investigated. ► Under mild conditions, the composite displayed lower wear rate and friction coefficient. ► Under severe conditions, the composite displayed higher wear rate and friction coefficient. ► At higher loads, adhesion and delamination were dominant in the alloy and composite respectively. ► Beyond a critical load, CNTs could have a negative impact on wear resistance of the alloy.