Impact of Wear Parameters and Heat Treatment on the Wear Rate of Aluminum Alloy/Al Nitride Composite: An Experimental Approach
摘要
This study examines the wear behavior of Al7075 aluminum alloy reinforced with varying weight percentages (2–8 wt%) of aluminum nitride (AlN), produced through stir casting. Both heat-treated and non-heat-treated specimens were tested under different wear conditions by independently varying the applied load, sliding velocity, and sliding distance. The findings indicate that the wear rate increases with greater load and sliding distance, but decreases at higher sliding velocities. Heat-treated composites demonstrated enhanced wear resistance compared to their non-heat-treated counterparts, which is attributed to improved microstructural stability. Mass loss measured wear, and worn surfaces were analyzed using optical microscopy and XRD. A composite connecting rod was fabricated from the optimized composition and examined for microstructural integrity. The findings confirm that AlN reinforcement and heat treatment effectively enhance the wear performance of Al7071 composites.