Wear coefficient and reliability of sliding wear test procedure for high strength aluminium alloy and composite

This paper describes the results of dry sliding wear tests of aluminium alloy (Al–Zn–Mg–Cu) composite was examined under varying applied pressures (0.2–2.6 MPa) and sliding speeds of 0.52, 1.72, 3.35, 4.18 and 5.23 m/s. The wear behaviour was studied using pin-on-disc apparatus against heat-treated steel counter surface, giving emphasis on the parameters such as wear coefficient as a function of applied pressure for alloy and composite for various sliding velocities. Wear coefficient of the alloy was noted to be significantly higher than that of the composite and is suppressed further due to addition of silicon carbide particles and applied pressure. It is noted that the experimental values are in good agreement with the theoretically calculated value. The maximum deviation of experimental values from the theoretical ones is noted to be around 10–15%. This supports the reliability of the test procedures and reproducibility of the test data.