Evaluation of the reciprocating-wear behavior of unlubricated hypereutectic al-si alloys

The reduction of abrasive and scuffing wear between aluminum and cast-iron wear-pairs is an important goal for the automotive industry given the implications for improved engine performance and reliability. Hypereutectic aluminum-silicon alloys such as B390 may help lead the way towards this goal because of their potential for wear resistance and durability. Yet, despite this potential, B390 has not been evaluated under the severe reciprocating conditions typical of automotive applications. Moreover, the influence of various manufacturing and processing steps on the resulting wear resistance of the alloy has not been studied at all. To help fill this void, a series of unlubricated tests were conducted using cast, spray-formed, spray-formed then extruded, and semi-solid formed variations of B390 reciprocated against gray cast-iron under a constant contact-stress. Originally, the weight-loss per reciprocating distance was measured and converted to volume-loss to determine the steady-state wear rates for each alloy variation. However, it was determined that debris from the mating cast-iron surface was adhering to the B390 and obscuring the actual material lost to wear. To compensate for the trapped iron debris, the volume-loss was directly calculated from the changing contact area or “flat” originally measured for the loading adjustments. After this correction, the data indicated that the spray-formed, spray-formed then extruded, and semi-solid formed all experienced measurable, albeit modest decreases in their wear rates relative to the cast B390. However, there were not any significant disparities in the observed wear rates between the spray-formed, spray-formed then extruded, and semi-solid formed hypereutectic alloy despite their processing and microstructural differences.