Tribological Behaviors of Steel and Al Alloys for Hydroforming Components

In this paper, the hydroforming process is simulated to estimate the coefficient of friction, frictional force, and wear rate of various steel and aluminum alloys typically used in hydroforming components. Experiments are performed on a pin-on-disk machine for various kinds of material of pins as SS304, SS316, AL6082-T6, and AL6061-T6. The experiments are performed for a time span of 10 min for different loads as 8 and 12 kg at 400 rpm. The outcomes demonstrate that the coefficient of friction fluctuates with time and normal load. From experimental investigations, it is observed that the coefficient of friction increases with rubbing time and after that remain consistent for rest period. From obtained experimental results, it is observed that coefficient of friction increases with increasing normal load for all materials. For the same working condition, the value of the coefficient of rubbing and wear rate is distinctive for various materials depending on normal load. The chemical composition of material is affecting the performance of steel and Al alloy. Increase in wear rate results due to the increase in normal load. Further, it is established that the wear of steel alloys decreases with the increase in carbon content. Wear measurement test was carried out for four different materials by slithering pins on EN-31 disk. © 2018, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.