An Investigate on Hot Wear and Corrosion Performance of Al Matrix Hybrid Composites Produced by Mechanical Alloying Method

Aluminum matrix composites (AMC) were engineering materials that are widely used in the automotive industry and whose use is increasing day by day. This study investigated the wear behavior of ZrO2 and Graphite reinforced hybrid composites designed as an automotive friction material at different temperatures and their corrosion behavior in different. The powders prepared by adding 2% graphite and 12% ZrO2 to the Al powder were mechanically alloyed for 60 min. Wear tests were performed using three different loads, three different sliding distances, and five different temperatures. Corrosion tests were performed using electrochemical impedance and potentiodynamic polarization techniques at two different electrodes. Result of the study showed that the reinforcement material added to the matrix agglomerated at grain boundaries. Wear tests showed that weight loss increased with increasing load and temperature. Corrosion tests showed that the AMCs exhibited better corrosion resistance at the NaCl electrolyte than the H2SO4 electrolyte. Pitting corrosion was active at the NaCl electrolyte on the corrosion surfaces, while the fretting corrosion mechanism was active at the H2SO4 electrolyte.