Wear Resistance Analysis of A359/SiC/20p Advanced Composite Joints Welded by Friction Stir Welding

Abstract

Advancement in automotive part development demands new cost-effective materials with higher mechanical properties and improved wear resistance as compared to existing materials. For instance, Aluminum Matrix Composites (AMC) shows improved mechanical properties as wear and abrasion resistance, high strength, chemical and dimensional stability. Automotive industry has focused in AMC for a variety of applications in automotive parts in order to improve the fuel economy, minimize vehicle emissions, improve design options, and increase the performance. Wear resistance is one of the most important factors in useful life of the automotive components, overall in those components submitted to mechanical systems like automotive brakes and suspensions. Friction Stir Welding (FSW) rises as the most capable process to joining AMC, principally for the capacity to weld without compromising their ceramic reinforcement. The aim of this study is focused on the analysis of wear characteristics of the friction-stir welded joint of aluminum matrix reinforced with 20 percent in weight silicon carbide composite (A359/SiC/20p). The experimental procedure consisted in cut samples into small plates and perform three welds on these with a FSW machine using a tool with 20 mm shoulder diameter and 8 mm pin diameter. The wear features of the three welded joints and parent metal were analyzed at constant load applying 5 N and a rotational speed of 100 rpm employing a Pin-on -Disk wear testing apparatus, using a sapphire steel ball with 6 mm diameter. The experimental results indicate that the three welded joints had low friction coefficient compared with the parent metal. The results determine that the FSW process parameters affect the wear resistance of the welded joints owing to different microstructural modifications during welding that causes a low wear resistance on the welded zone. Key-words:Aluminum matrix composites; Friction stir welding; Wear. Análise da Resistência ao Desgaste de Juntas de Compostos Avançados A359/SiC/20p Soldadas por FricçãoResumo: O avanço no desenvolvimento de peças automotivas exige novos materiais de baixo custo com propriedades mecânicas superiores e com maior resistência ao desgaste em comparação com os materiais existentes. Por exemplo, compósitos com matriz de alumínio (AMC) mostram melhores propriedades mecânicas como resistência à abrasão e ao desgaste, alta resistência e estabilidade química e dimensional. A indústria automotiva tem centrado em AMC para uma variedade de aplicações em peças automotivas, a fim de melhorar a economia de combustível, minimizar as emissões dos veículos, melhorar as opções de design e aumentar o desempenho. A Resistência ao desgaste é um fator importante a determinar para a vida útil dos componentes automotivos, em geral naqueles componentes submetidos a sistemas mecânicos como freios e suspensões. O processo de soldagem por fricção e mistura mecânica (FSW -Friction Stir Welding) surge como um processo capaz de unir AMC, principalmente com a capacidade de soldar se...

Mechanical, wear and corrosion behaviors of AZ91/SiC composite layer fabricated by friction stir vibration processing

“…They reported that wear resistance increases by increasing FSP passes. Other researchers also reported a beneficial effect of reinforcement particles and FSP passes on the wear resistance of the samples [12,13]. The type of second phase particles is also of great importance on the wear rate of FSPed samples.…”

A modified version of friction stir welding process of aluminum alloys: Analyzing the thermal treatment and wear behavior

“…They enunciated that mechanical properties such as hardness profile and tensile strength increase utilizing water, and the grain size in the joint zone reduces as well. Mata et al 9 considered the wear performance of A359/Sic/20p welded joints fabricated by the FSW process. They found that wear resistance improved at a high rotation speed.…”