An investigation into the wear behavior of aged Alumix321/SiC composites fabricated by hot pressing
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Aerospace or automobile industries need materials that have a combination of several features such as lightness, high strength, corrosion and wear resistance. With ceramic particulates reinforcement, the properties of aluminum alloys can be greatly improved. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of precipitation age hardening and the mass percentage of SiC particles on hardness and wear resistance of the 6061 aluminum matrix composites produced by hot pressing. Composites were solution treated at 530 degrees C for 1.5 h and then artificially aged at 160 degrees C for 18 h. The ball-on-disc wear test was carried out under 2N load using an alumina ball as the counterpart. The density of the composites was calculated according to Archimedes principle. Porosity tended to increase with increasing SiC reinforcement. Hardness and wear resistance of composites were improved by SiC particles and aging. Maximum hardness and minimum wear loss was obtained heat treated sample that contains 20 wt.% SiC reinforcement.