Physical, mechanical and dry sliding wear properties of hybrid and non-hybrid Al-V nanocomposites produced by powder metallurgy

The present work aims to characterise the sliding wear behaviour of non-hybrid Al-Al3V and hybrid Al-(Al3V, Al2O3) nanocomposites. Wear rates were calculated from mass loss measurements. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) pattern was utilised to evaluate the microstructural changes during milling hot-pressed samples. It was found that the wear resistance of hybrid nanocomposites was enhanced by increasing Al3V-Al2O3 percentage due to an increase in hardness. The mass loss measurement showed that not only was the wear rate of hybrid samples lower than that of Al-Al3V, but also it had lower friction coefficients in comparison to the non-hybrid sample. The worn surface evaluation in hybrid samples indicated that the formed darker layer possesses the features of the mechanically mixed layer (MML), which inhibits mass loss intensification. Moreover, formation of MML as a lubricant layer promotes the friction characteristic of the hybrid nanocomposite.