Impact of ECAP on wear performance of Al-Mn magnesium alloy

Abstract

The current study examines the wear performance of deformed AM90 magnesium alloy using pin-on-disc wear test apparatus under varying load of 30 and 40 N with the sliding distance of 2500 m and 5000 m at constant sliding speed of 3 m s-1. The samples were processed through equal channel angular pressing were subjected to microstructural, wear studies and are characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Vickers microhardness was carried out to evaluate the relation between the wear behavior of homogenized and ECAP processed samples. Increment in number of ECAP passes increased the grain refinement as observed in the microstructure with reduction in grain size from ∼70 μm (homogenized sample) to ∼4 μm (ECAP 4 pass sample). Increase in wear resistance and hardness were observed for processed samples and the worn faces are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The worn surfaces revealed the occurrence of wear debris, delamination, ploughing in the direction of sliding and the predominant wear mechanism was considered to be the combination of oxidation and abrasive wear. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.