Contributions of the particulate reinforcement to dry sliding wear resistance of rapidly solidified Al-Ti alloys

Dry sliding wear and single-point scratch tests have been performed to study contributions of the fine Al3Ti particulate reinforcement to the dry sliding wear resistance of rapidly solidified (RS) Al-Ti alloys. It is indicated that the dry sliding wear resistance of the alloy increases with increasing particle volume fraction and decreasing particle size. The homogeneously dispersed spherical Al3Ti particles with sizes of 0.4–2.6 μm in diameter are believed to contribute to the wear resistance through strengthening the Al matrix both at ambient and elevated temperatures. However, the beneficial effect of the reinforcement decreases with increasing normal load. The possible causes were provided based mainly on results revealed by the single-point scratch test results.