Effect of wear tests on silicon carbide nanowires/aluminium metal powder composites

Abstract

This research studies the effect of wear tests on silicon carbide nanowires (SiC NWs)/ aluminium metal powder (Al) composites for different volume ratios of SiC NWs. Composites with 0, 5, 10 and 15% by volume of SiC NWs were fabricated by a hot pressing technique, using a temperature of 600°C, a pressure of 40 MPa and a duration of 1 h. The wear resistance of all nanocomposite samples was investigated using Pin-on-Disk Tribology. Furthermore, the morphology of composite samples was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM micrographs revealed that Al/SiC NWs form a complex structure and cling between particles of aluminium. The wear resistance increased with increasing volume percentage of SiC NWs.