Issue 71

K. Annapoorna et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 71 (2025) 285-301; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.71.21

% Al 2 O 3 and 1 wt. % ZrO 2 exhibited the lowest wear rates, likely due to the creation of intermetallic particles that are uniformly aligned, hence augmenting the strength of the aluminium alloy matrix.

Figure 23: Specific wear rate of composites under different velocities at 40N and 4000m distance

Wear Characteristics - Effect of variable sliding distance Further, keeping a constant load of 40 N and speed of 4 m/s and varying the sliding distances by 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 meters the wear rate of the samples were tested and the results were tabulated in Tab. 9. Fig. 24 indicates that an increase in sliding distance correlates with a rise in wear rate. Abrasion occurs between sliding surfaces, resulting in material bluntness and an expanded contact area, which may contribute to heightened wear behaviour. Additionally, as the sliding distance increases, plastic deformation in the subsurface region leads to the disintegration of the tribo layer, thereby elevating the wear rate. The specimen with 1 wt. % Al 2 O 3 - 1 wt. % ZrO 2 had the lowest specific wear rate at all test circumstances, suggesting better wear resistance over Al6061. However, the hybrid nano composite with 1 wt. % Al 2 O 3 - 1.25 wt % ZrO 2 showed an increase in wear rate at higher loads, suggesting a complex interplay between nanoparticle content and load conditions. The results imply that although ceramic reinforcements might improve wear resistance, suitable nanoparticle concentrations have to be carefully taken into account to maximize performance under particular operational environments.

Specific wear rate, (x 10-4)

Al6061- 1wt% Al 2 O 3 0.5wt% ZrO 2

Al6061- 1wt% Al 2 O 3 0.75wt% ZrO 2

Al6061- 1wt% Al 2 O 3 1wt% ZrO 2

Al6061- 1wt% Al 2 O 3 1.25wt% ZrO 2

Al6061- 0.5wt% Al 2 O 3 1wt% ZrO 2

Al6061- 0.75wt% Al 2 O 3 1wt% ZrO 2

Al6061- 1.25wt% Al 2 O 3 1wt% ZrO 2

Distance (m)

As Cast Al6061

1000 2000 3000 4000

6.40 6.74 7.25 7.70

5.19 5.53 5.87 6.17

4.22 4.50 4.87 5.06

3.25 3.56 3.85 4.01

3.71 3.87 4.14 4.39

5.68 6.08 6.62 6.89

4.85 5.17 5.40 5.72

3.88 4.18 4.35 4.62

Table 9: Produced composites specific wear rate at 40N as a load, 4.0 m/s as a sliding distance with varying sliding distance.

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