The Dry Sliding Wear Properties of Nano-Sized TiC_p/Al-Cu Composites at Elevated Temperatures

Nano-sized ceramic particle reinforced aluminum composites exhibit excellent room-temperature mechanical properties. However, there is limited research on the dry sliding wear behavior of those composites at elevated temperatures, which should be one of the major concerns on elevated temperature applications. Here the Al-Cu composites reinforced with nano-sized TiC_p were fabricated. The dry sliding wear behaviors of the nano-sized TiC_p/Al-Cu composites at various temperatures (140-220 °C) and loads (10-40 N) with different TiC_p contents were studied, and the results showed that the nanocomposites exhibited superior wear resistance. For instance, the relative wear resistance of the 0.5 wt.% nano-sized TiC_p/Al-Cu composite was 83.5% higher than that of the Al-Cu matrix alloy at 180 °C under 20 N, and was also 16.5% higher than that of the 5 wt.% micro-sized TiC_p/Al-Cu composite, attributed to the pronounced Orowan strengthening effect of nanoparticles. The wear rates of the nanocomposites were always lower than those of the Al-Cu matrix alloy under the same test condition, which increased with the increase in temperature and load and with the decrease in TiC_p content.