Abrasive wear of aluminium composites : a review

Abstract Aluminium-silicon alloys and aluminium-based metal-matrix composites (MMCs) containing hard particles offer superior operating performance and resistance to wear. In industrial processes where abrasive slurries are transported by rotating paddles or impellers, clements fabricated from MMC materials provide higher abrasive resistance and therefore a longer service life compared to those made from iron or nickel-based alloys. Composites characterized by a hardness greater than the abrasive particles and a reinforcement phase of high fracture toughness and low mean free path, compared to the abrasive grift dimension, exhibit high abrasive wear resistance. Studies related to abrasive wear of AlSi alloys and aluminium-based MMCs that contain discontinuous reinforcement phases are reviewed.