Study on the influence of T4 and T6 heat treatment on the wear behavior of coarse and fine WC particulate reinforced LM28 Aluminium cast composites

• Main Authors: Gurpreet Singh, Neeraj Sharma
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-03-01
• Series: Composites Part C: Open Access
• Subjects: LM20 aluminum composite; WC particulates; T4 heat treatment; T6 Heat treatment; Wear behavior
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666682021000013

This work presents the Influence of T4 and T6 heat treatment on the wear behavior of coarse and fine WC reinforced LM28 cast Composites. Production of the composites was achieved by stir casting method in the presence of inert gas. Fine (0.1–20 µm) and coarse (60–80 µm) particulates of WC were used from 0 to 12 wt.% in a step of 3%. Composites were given T4 and T6 heat treatment in the conventional manner. For T4 heat treatment, composites were heat treated at 450 °C for 2–3 h followed by quenching in oil and then naturally aged for 6–40 days at normal room temperature whereas for T6 heat treatment, similar cycle was employed with the addition of artificial aging at 180–220 °C for 3–7 h followed by normal cooling. T6 heat treated composites showed optimum hardness in comparison to T4 heat treated and non-heat treated composites. Pin on disk tests revealed the optimal wear resistance and coefficient of friction in T6 heat treated composites at varying sliding distance and load. Scanning-electron microscopy examination showed that the surface damage under the influence of load and sliding distance was higher in T4 heat treated and non-heat treated composites as compared to T6 heat treated composites. Abrasive wear mechanism was observed in the initial phase of material removal but gradually as the sliding distance increases, the wear mechanism transformed into adhesive. T6 composites showed superior wear resistance and hardness and therefore can ideally be employed in applications where high resistance to wear is critical.