Effect of the pre-shot peening on the tribological properties of MAO-sealed 6082-T6 aluminum alloy
摘要
Aluminum alloy components in high-speed railway catenary systems are typically exposed to corrosive and high-wind environments. In addition, they are frequently subjected to impact loads induced by high-speed pantograph operations, which collectively result in severe wear damage. Therefore, two types of composite coatings were fabricated in this study: one combining pre-shot peening, micro-arc oxidation (MAO), and acrylic resin sealing, and the other integrating MAO with acrylic resin sealing only. Friction and wear tests were subsequently conducted following a pre-corrosion process to analyze the effect of pre-shot peening on the tribological properties of the composite coatings. The results indicate that shot peening pretreatment promotes the growth of MAO coatings. The coating thickness was approximately 11.2 μm for the M1S specimen and increased to about 16.7 μm for the M2S specimen. In addition, shot peening pretreatment significantly increased the surface roughness, reaching approximately 1.36 μm for M1S and 9.89 μm for M2S, and introduced a hardened layer and an elastic modulus–enhanced layer with a depth of approximately 55 μm in the substrate. Moreover, shot peening pretreatment reduced the friction coefficient during the steady-state wear stage, with values of about 0.75 for M1S and 0.65 for M2S, compared with the bare substrate, markedly decreases the overall wear depth and wear width. Acrylic resin sealing effectively improves the corrosion resistance of the composite coatings; However, corrosive environments still degrade the coating performance and increase the friction coefficient. The underlying mechanism is that localized coating spallation produces hard particles, which intensify abrasive wear.
Graphical abstract