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Tribo-metallurgical behaviour of high Zn content Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy in different homogenization conditions

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Abstract

A significant constraint of aluminum alloys in aircraft and automobile industrial applications is their poor mechanical properties as well as low tribological behavior. In the present study, the correlation between microstructure, hardness, and wear behavior of high Zn (10 wt.%) alloys containing Al-Zn-Mg-Cu was studied. Homogenization treatment at 450°C in the range of 0 to 40 h, followed by an aging process at 120°C/24 h, was applied to the alloy samples. The results show that the alloy homogenized for 16 h exhibits peak hardness due to the presence of precipitates at the grain boundary region as well as in the matrix, which act as intense points for pinning in the Al-matrix to slow the dislocation movement. The wear behavior of the alloy was investigated by a dry sliding wear test. Worn surfaces were investigated to identify the wear mechanism. Archard’s and Fleischer’s wear models were analyzed to correlate with the wear test results of the alloy during homogenization time.

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Abbreviations

λ :

Wavelength

2θ :

Diffraction angle

\(V\) :

Volume loss

\({K}_{E}\) :

Energetic wear rate

\({F}_{N}\) :

Friction force

\(D\) :

Distance of sliding

\(H\) :

Hardness of a material

\(K\) :

Archard wear coefficient

\({K}_{L}\) :

Archard wear coefficient for homogenization time 4-16 h

\({K}_{H}\) :

Archard wear coefficient for homogenization time 16-40 h

\({W}_{wear}\) :

Amount of work done

\(\mu \) :

Friction coefficient between two materials

\({V}_{wear}\) :

Quantity of worn substance

\({e}_{R}^{*}\) :

Apparent frictional energy density

RB :

Roughness parameter

\({K}_{SWR}\) :

Average specific wear rate

\({R}^{2}\) :

Coefficient of determination

\({t}_{H}\) :

Homogenization time

GP:

Guinier-Preston

JCPDS:

Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

SEM:

Scanning electron micrography

EDS:

Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

COF:

Coefficient of friction

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Acknowledgements

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors would like to acknowledge the Central Research Facility, IIEST Shibpur, India, for conducting the SEM facility. The authors would also like to thank DST-FIST, MME, NIT Durgapur, India, for extending the XRD facility.

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  1. Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, 713340, India

    Rahul Samanta

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Techno India University, Kolkata, 700091, India

    Amitava Ghatak

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Samanta, R., Ghatak, A. Tribo-metallurgical behaviour of high Zn content Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy in different homogenization conditions. Sādhanā 49, 178 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12046-024-02512-0

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