Impact of Tantalum Carbide on Ambient and Elevated Temperature Tribo-behavior of Cast Mg-AZ91D Composites
摘要
AZ91D/Tantalum carbide (TaC) magnesium composites containing 2.5 wt.%, 5 wt.%, and 7.5 wt.% of TaC particles were fabricated by following the ultrasonication stir–squeeze casting method. A pin-on-disc tribometer was used to investigate the tribo-behavior of the materials at ambient and elevated temperatures. In room-temperature wear tests, normal loads (12.5 N, 25 N, 37.5 N, 50 N) and sliding speeds (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1 m/s) were applied to find the specific wear rate (SWR) and coefficient of friction (COF). The elevated temperature test was carried out between 50°C and 200°C. The addition of 2.5 wt.%, 5 wt.%, and 7.5 wt.% TaC increased the hardness by approximately 7.04%, 14.08%, and 29.58%, respectively. The porosity of the composites varied from 0.27% to 0.93%. As the applied load and speed increased, a decreasing trend for SWR and COF was observed in ambient conditions. The SWR and COF were minimum at 7.5 wt.%, 50 N, and 1 m/s, and maximum at 2.5 wt.%, 12.5 N, and 0.25 m/s. The SWR of materials increased with the increase in the wear test temperature. The endurance temperature of mild to severe wear transition was 150°C at 2.5 wt.% and 175°C at both 5 wt.% and 7.5 wt.%. Wear mechanisms comprised abrasion, oxidation, and delamination majorly affected tribo-behavior.