High-Temperature Wear Mechanisms of a Severely Plastic Deformed Al/Mg₂Si Composite

The present work was primarily conducted to study the wear behavior of as-received and severely deformed Al-15%Mg₂Si in situ composites. The severe plastic deformation was applied using accumulative back extrusion (ABE) technique (one and three passes). The continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) was recognized as the main strain accommodation and grain refinement mechanism within aluminum matrix during ABE cycles. To investigate the wear properties of the processed material, the dry sliding wear tests were carried out on both the as-received and processed samples under normal load of 10 and 20 N at room temperature, 100 °C, and 200 °C. The results indicated a better wear resistance of processed specimens in comparison to the as-received ones at room temperature. In addition, the wear performance was improved as the ABE pass numbers increased. These were related to the presence of oxide tribolayer. At 100 °C, the as-received material exhibited a better wear performance compared to the processed material; this was attributed to the formation of a work-hardened layer on the worn surface. At 200 °C, both the as-received and processed composites experienced a severe wear condition. In general, elevating the temperature changed the dominant wear mechanism from oxidation and delamination at room temperature to severe adhesion and plastic deformation at 200 °C.