Investigation of friction and corrosion properties of aluminium alloy reinforced with zirconium and copper oxide

Department of Chemical, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Tshwane University of Technology, P.M.B. X680, Pretoria, South Africa

^* Corresponding author: E-mail Address: 224691211@tut4life.ac.za;

Abstract

Aluminium alloys are useful lightweight metals owing to their low density, robust mechanical properties and excellent resistance to corrosion. However, their resistance to wear and corrosion under different operating conditions is significantly poor. In this study, Al alloy samples were reinforced with Zr+Cu₂O using stir casting to ensure dispersion of reinforcement within the matrix. The samples were subjected to ageing heat treatment for improve mechanical properties, followed by wear rate and coefficient of friction testing using a tribometer, corrosion resistance using the Pontentiodynamic polarisation techniques, and hardness evaluated using Vickers microhardness tester. It was found that the heat-treated samples showed superior wear resistance and corrosion performance compared to the pure Al. Heat treated samples demonstrated a lower wear rate, reduced friction coefficient under the same testing conditions. Furthermore, corrosion testing showed that the heat-treated samples had improved resistance to corrosion because of the reduced microstructural defects and stable protective oxide layers. In contrast, pure Al showed higher wear and corrosion rates making them less suitable for engineering applications. It was inferred that heat treatment improves the wear resistance and corrosion properties of Al alloys. These findings indicate the potential of these reinforced alloys for high performance applications.