Wear Behaviour Analysis of Heat Treated A356 Composite with Copper and Copper-Coated Zinc as Reinforcements

The present study reflects on the wear behaviour characteristics of A356 composite with trace addition of copper and copper-coated zinc as reinforcements. Dry sliding wear tests were conducted on fabricated as-cast and heat treated composites by varying load of 20-60 N under constant sliding speed of 1 m/s and sliding distance of 3000 m. Results confirmed that copper-coated zinc was successfully introduced as reinforcement into A356 matrix using two-step casting method. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images confirmed the presence and homogeneous distribution of the added reinforcements in the matrix. T6 treatment with addition of Cu reinforcement facilitated age hardening showing 121% hardness improvement compared to as-cast matrix A356. At lower loads, wear results showed 117-134% enhanced wear resistance in composite reinforced with 1 wt.% Cu and aging at 100°C. However at higher loads, 153-210% improvement in wear resistance was observed. Overall, copper and Cu-coated zinc reinforced composite along with T6 treatment exhibited significant improvement in hardness wear property compared to as-cast matrix A356 alloy.