FABRICATION OF CAST ALUMINIUM-SILICON (Al-Si) AND ALUMINIUM-MAGNESIUM (Al-Mg) ALLOYS AND THEIR PROPERTIES

In the present investigation, three distinct aluminium-silicon (Al-Si) containing 7 wt.%, 12 wt.%, 14 wt.% of silicon and two different aluminium-magnesium (Al-Mg) alloys containing 2.5 wt.%, 4.5 wt.% of magnesium were prepared by casting route method. The prepared Al-Si and Al-Mg alloys have homogeneous distribution of the second rich phase throughout the cast. The microstructural analysis was done by using both optical and scanning electron microscope. Hardness values were measured with a Vickers hardness tester and tensile properties were determined by using Instron universal testing machine. Further, the wear properties were studied by using a ball-on-plate wear tester. The obtaining results highlight the hardness, tensile properties and wear resistance are increases with increasing percentage of second rich phase in aluminium. The worn surfaces of these alloys revealed that the surfaces have cracks, grooves, scoring marks and debris.