Microstructure and dry sliding wear behavior of cast Al-Mg2Si in-situ metal matrix composite modified by Nd

The microstructure and dry sliding wear behavior of cast Al-18 wt% Mg2Si in-situ metal matrix composite modified by Nd were investigated. Experimental results show that, after introducing a proper amount of Nd, both primary and eutectic Mg2Si in the Al-18 wt% Mg2Si composite are well modified. The morphology of primary Mg2Si is changed from irregular or dendritic to polyhedral shape, and its average particle size is significantly decreased. Moreover, the morphology of the eutectic Mg2Si phase is altered from flake-like to very short fibrous or dot-like. The wear rates and friction coefficient of the composites with Nd are lower than those without Nd. Furthermore, the addition of 0.5 wt% Nd changes the wear mechanism of the composite from the combination of abrasive, adhesive, and delamination wear without Nd into a single mild abrasion wear with 0.5 wt% Nd.