Dry sliding friction and wear properties of B4C particulate-reinforced Al-5083 matrix composites

Pin-on-disk dry sliding wear tests at sliding speeds ranging from 0.6 to 1.25 m/s and under loads ranging from 3.98 to 6.37 MPa (50–80 N) were conducted for pin specimens of composites with Al-5083 matrices reinforced with 5 and 10 wt.% B4C particles. The wear rate of the composite with 10 wt.% B4C was approximately 40% lower than that of the composite with 5 wt.% B4C under the same test condition. Two stages were observed in the reduction of pin length/sliding distance curves in several specimens, with the length reduction rate in the first stage being one to two orders of magnitude lower than that in the second stage. The low length reduction rate in the first stage corresponded with a flat stage with a low coefficient of friction (COF) in the COF/sliding distance curve.