Friction Behavior and Wear Mechanism of Twin-Roll Casting Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 Amorphous Alloy

The Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 amorphous alloy with thickness 0.5 mm and width of 75 mm was fabricated by twin-roll casting. Due to high rolling force, the alloy exhibited high energy state, high free volume and microstructure inhomogeneity. However, the friction property is not clear because of excellent plasticity and high free volume. The present study tested the friction property of the alloy by rotating pin-on-disk method and investigated the friction behavior and wear mechanism. Besides, the abrasive resistance was improved by subsequent annealing treatment. The results show that the wear mechanisms are mainly abrasive wear, adhesion wear, delamination wear and fatigue wear. The wear law is in accordance with the Archard's empirical wear law. The structural stability and uniformity of that cast strip can be increased by annealing the cast strip at the glass transition temperature. Meanwhile, the wear resistance of the amorphous alloy is improved, and the wear rate in the annealed state is reduced to 88.7 percent of that in the as-cast state, so that abrasive resistance is improved. This study provides a little theoretical basis for amorphous alloy as wear-resistant material and expands the application of amorphous alloy in engineering materials.