Effect of Surface Porosity on Tribological Properties of Automotive Al-Si Alloys

Abstract

Al-Si based alloys are commonly used in the automobile industry due to their superior properties, high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, recyclability, etc. These alloys are fabricated by casting and powder metallurgy techniques in which porosity is a common feature. The presence of pores is accompanied by a decrease in mechanical properties, i.e., a drop in hardness and ductility of the materials. In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the effect of surface porosity on the tribological property. A380M and Al-6wt% Si alloys were used to prepare specimens containing 2.6 to 6.9% porosity via casting and 1 to 6.7% porosity via powder metallurgy techniques, respectively. Dry sliding wear behavior was investigated in the load range 6-20 N against an AISI 52100 bearing steel ball using a reciprocating ball-on-flat configuration at a frequency range of 4-20 Hz for cast and 15 Hz for P/M samples.