WEAR

ELSEVIER

Wear 194 ( 1996) 54-59

Effect of element additions on wear property of eutectic

aluminium-silicon alloys
Mohd Hamn a, LA. Talib a, A.R. Daud b
aDepartment

of Physics. Universiti Kebangsuan

Materials Science Programme.

Malaysia, 43600

Universiti Kebangsaan

UKM, Selangor,

Malaysia. 43600

Malaysia

UKM, Selangor.

Malaysia

Received 26 July 1994; accepted 2 June 1995

Abstract
The effects of cerium, zinc and zirconium additions and subsequent heat treatment on wear of the eutectic aluminium-silicon

alloys have

been investigated in dry sliding against a steel counterface by using a pin-on-disc machine. Wear surfaces and debris were examined by
scanning electron microscopy. Wear characteristics of both binary Al-Si alloys and a commercial LM 13 alloy, were also studied and compared
with those of the Al-Si alloy containing the Ce, Zn and Zr. The k-values of the ALSI (Al-12.3%Si),
LM13, ASMC-1 (Al-12.3%Si0.75%Mg-0.26%Ce)
and ASMC-1 (heat-treated) obtained are 5.795 X 10e4, 4.750 X 10m4, 4.311 X 10m4 and 3.981 X lO-4 mm3 N- m-,
respectively.
Keywords:

Aluminium-silicon

alloys; Microhardness;

Precipitation

hardening;

1. Introduction

As-cast Al-S1 alloys are important wear-resistantmaterials

and have been widely used as piston materials for petrol
engines because of their low thermal expansion coefficient
and high wear resistance when alloyed with the other elements such as copper, magnesium and nickel. It has been
reported that the wear resistance of the binary Al-Si alloys
improved when the silicon content was near the eutectic composition [ I-31. Sarkar [ 41 has studied heat treated commercial alloys of LM13 with 11% silicon, 2% magnesium, 1%
copper, 0.45% nickel, 0.5% iron and 0.18% manganese; and
1.6% copper,
LM29 with 22% silicon, 1.6% magnesium,
0.7% nickel, 0.34% iron and 0.26% manganese by sliding
on cast iron and steel. He found that the underaged alloys
gave a lower wear rate while overaging gave a higher wear
rate. The hypoeutectic alloy showed higher wear resistance
compared to the hypereutectic alloy.
The alloying additions may also modify the wear characteristics of aluminium-silicon
alloys due to solid solution
strengthening and precipitation hardening. The possible precipitation of AI&e, Al&e, SiCe, SiCe, and SiCe, compounds
in Al-Si containing cerium has been discussed by Sharan
[ 51. In general, the precipitation kinetics and precipitation
distribution and morphology can be controlled by appropriate
heat treatment. The present investigation was undertaken to
0043.1648/96/$15.00
0 1996 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved
SSDIOO43-1648(95)06707-8

Wear rate; Wear debris; Dry sliding

develop cast wear-resistant

principles.

2. Experimental

Al-S1 alloys based on the above

details

Four types of Al-Si alloys have been prepared by melting

the requisite quantities of pure metals in a vacuum induction
melting furnace. Pure metals of 99.9995% Al, 99.9% Si,
98.9% Mg, and the Mg-2.84%Ce-2.08%Zn-O.56%Zr
alloy
were used to prepared the Al-Si alloy containing a small
amount of Ce, Zr and Zn. The pure metals and the magnesium
alloy were charged into a graphite crucible, which was placed
in the induction melting vacuum furnace. After melting, the
crucible was taken out of the furnace and the temperature of
the melt was monitored continuously
with an alumina
sheathed thermocouple which was connected to a temperature
scanner. The melted alloys were poured into graphite moulds
at a temperature of about 1013 to 1023 K. After solidification
and cooling, the casting was removed from the mould.
Table 1 shows chemical composition
of the as-prepared
alloys determined by a Spark Emmision Spectrometer and
Induced Couple Plasma. The ALSI and LM13 were solutiontreated at 813 K for 10 h and water quenched, while the
ASMC- 1 alloy was solution-treated
at 8 13 K for 1 h and
water quenched. Ageing was carried out on all alloys at 433 K
for 2,4,6 and 8 h. The specimens were mechanically ground

M. Harun et al. /Wear

194 (1996) 54-59

55

I
The chemical composition of the aluminium-silicon alloys used in this work (in wt%)

Table

Alloy

Si

ALSI
LM13
ASMC-1

12.3
11.3
12.3

0.81
0.73

cu

Ni

Fe

Mn

_
1.24
_

1.35

_
0.38
_

0.04

Zn

0.00

Zr

Ce

0.00

_
_
0.02

Al: balance.

using Sic papers and polished with diamond spray to a 1~

finish. The Vickers microhardness tests were carried out on
the polished specimens by applying a 50 g load for 10 s using
a diamond indenter. Each microhardness value reported here
is an average value of five measurements.
The specimens
used for microstructural
study were etched by immersion in
1% HF acid for 5 s.
Dry sliding wear experiments were conducted using a pinon-disc machine at a speed of 60 rpm with a load of 685 g
for sliding distances of 1.2-8.8 km. The wear pins were cylindrical rods 10 mm diameter and 15 mm long with flat ends.
The pin of the test material was held against a rotating steel
disc of 98.3 BHN (tested with 30 kg of 1 mm diameter ball).
Worn surfaces and the debris were studied by scanning
electron microscopy.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Heat-treatment

study

The microhardness values of as-cast ALSI, ASMC-1 and

LM13 are 71.15, 84.63 and 103.70 HV, respectively. Fig. 1
shows the microstructure of the alloys. The primary a-phase
is embedded in a eutectic matrix. The grey eutectic silicon
particles are found in and around the interdendritic regions
of Al-Si primary solid solution dendrites (light area). A finer
structure is observed in Fig. 1 (b) rather than in Fig. 1 (a) and
Fig. 1 (c) In Fig. 1 (a) and Fig. 1 (c), the Si phase is very
fine and has a plate-like morphology.
The Si-phase in
Fig. 1 (b) is coarser than that of Fig. l(a) and Fig. l(c).
Spheroidization of the Si particles can be observed when the
alloys were solution-treated
at 813 K for 1 h and water
quenched. Fig. 2 shows the spheroidal silicon phase in the
ASMC-1 alloy when the alloy was solution-treated at 813 K
for 1 h and aged for 6 h at 433 K. As a result of the solution
treatment, the microhardness values of the ALSI, ASMC-1
and LM13 alloys were reduced to49.91,78.35 and 85.66 HV,
respectively.
The variation of microhardness
with respect to ageing
times of the alloys is shown in Fig. 3. The microhardness of
the ALSl alloy was almost constant with ageing time, while
the microhardness of Al-12Si-O.4Mg
alloy increased as the
ageing time increased [ 61. This phenomenon is due to precipitation of magnesium atoms in the aluminium matrix as
had been reported by Inouye [7]. According to him, the
coherent precipitates greatly increase hardness. These results

also suggest that hardening is associated with precipitation

within the grains since there was no hardening in the binary
ALSI alloys until such a precipitation occurred.
In LM13 and ASMC- 1 alloys, the hardness reached a maximum value at ageing times of about 4 and 6 h, respectively.
The microhardness values of the LM13 and ASMC-1 are
120.0 HV and 118.3 HV, respectively when aged at 433 K
for 6 h. The existence of the peak hardness may be due to the
presence of Mg, Ce and Zr in the ASMC-1 alloy because
such elements can promote the precipitate formation. Sharan
[ 81 reported that cerium has a tendency to form a variety of
compounds with Al and Si. Among the possible compounds
are Al&e, Al&e, SiCe and SiCe4.
The presence of Mg, Cu and Ni in the commercial alloy of
LM13 caused the formation of intermetallic compounds of
Mg,Si, CuAL, and NiAl,, respectively. The microhardness
of the as-cast LM13 is 103.7 HV and the microhardness of
the binary ALSI is 71.15 HV. The formation of such intermetallic compounds in the ALSI alloys has been reported by
Abbot and Parker [9]. The fine dispersion of intermetallic
compounds in the LM13 and ASMC-1 alloys modifies the
eutectic structure and age-hardening mechanism. Generally,
the increase in hardness may be attributed to the formation
of precipitates.
3.2. Wear behaviour
Fig. 4 relates weight loss and sliding distance of the ALSI,
LM13 and ASMC-1 alloys which shows that the weight loss
increases linearly with sliding distance. The slope is the wear
rate of the alloy in question at a steady state. The trends of
wear curves obtained are in accordance with the trends
reported for most metallic materials [ 10-121. The lowest
wear rate can be observed in the ASMC-1 alloy compared
with ALSI and LM13 alloys. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 have shown
that the high microhardness values in the LM13 and ASMC1 increase the wear resistance of the alloys. Thus, it can be
concluded that there is a significant improvement in wear
resistance when the alloy contains Ce and Zr. The element
addition can modify the wear characteristic in the ALSI alloys
through solid solution strengthening and precipitation hardening mechanisms [ 121. The main effects of alloying on wear
appears to be strengthening the matrix of the AL-S1 alloy.
The strong matrix will resist plastic deformation and scratching in the subsurface. The hard silicon needles, formed in the
as-cast ASMC-1 alloy, attained a near spherical shape when
the alloy was solution treated at 813 K for 1 h, quenched in

56

M. Harm et al. / Wear I94 (1996) 54-59

Fig. 2. Spheroidal silicon in the ASMC-I as a result of solution-treatment

8 13 K, I h and water quenched and aged at 433 K for 6 h.

140

TYPE

120

OF

at

ALLOY

+
-IJ-

AL.9
ASMC-I

-&-

LM

ASMWtel.G)

13

100

>
c
I
g

80

1
s

60

J
0

40

20

Ageing time, hour

Fig. 3. The relationship

Fig. 1 The: microstructure

LM13

of the as-cast: (a) ALU, (b) ASMC-

I, and Cc)

wate :r at 297 K and aged at 433 K for 6 h. The rounds :d r norphol ogy r of silicon particles and presence of fine prec ipit .ates
shou Ild I,etard crack nucleation and growth process and I she>uld
thus yie :ld a much better wear resistance in the heat -tre

between microhardness

and ageing time in the alloys

Al-7%SiXUG%Mg
alloy when compared with the binary as
cast Al-7%Si alloy [ 131. This suggests that the wear resistance of the alloys is further improved by the heat treatment
as shown by the line for ASMC- 1 (HT) in Fig. 4. Heat treatment can also strengthen the matrix and further stabilize the
subsurface.
3.3. Wear debris analysis

Various shapes and sizes of wear debris were found as a

result of dry sliding wear testing. Fig. 5 shows scanning elec-

M. Harun et al. / Wear I94 (1996) 54-59

51

/_

100
TYPE

OF

ALLOY

-O-

ALSI

-O-

ASMC-I

-_b

LM

-W-

ASMC-I(HT)

13
i

20

0
0

Sliding
Fig. 4. The relationship

IO

distance, km

Fig. 5. Scanning electron micrograph of wear debris on: (a) flake shaped
debris and oxide powder; and (b) oxide powder and fine metal debris.

between weight loss and sliding distance.

tron micrographs of the wear debris formed when testing the

ASMC-1 alloy. The debris includes flakes, chips and oxide
powder. Fig. 5 (b) shows a higher magnification of the oxide
particles in Fig. 5(a). Because of some oxide particles,
microchips and delamination flakes are present in the wear
debris, the wear mechanisms
of the ASMC-1 alloy may
include oxidative wear, microcutting and delamination wear.
The black powder formation has also been observed by Keen
[ 141. Flake-shaped debris can be seen in the Fig. 5(a). A
study by SEM and EDAX shows that the flake-shaped debris
contains much iron and silicon. The formation of a compacted
layer being not of oxides but an ultrafine mixture of silicon,
aluminium and iron has been observed by Antoniou and Borland [ 1.51. The debris essentially consist of laminates produced by fracturing of compacted material or fine particles
of the said mixture. The iron from the steel disc counterface
was transfered to the aluminium
pin. This observation
confirms the work of Sarkar [ 41 and Beesley and Eyre [ 161.
X-ray diffraction analysis has been conducted on the wear
debris collected from the experiments. The results obtained
from the wear test of ASMC-1 alloy (Fig. 6) clearly show
the presence of Fe,03, Fe, Al and Si.

OJ
27.94

35.94

43.94
scabrIng

51.94

59.94

67.94

75.94

angle, 2 Ihot0

@I
Al

1M)
t
OJ
23.94

27.94

31.94
scdhltng

35.94

39.94

43.94

47.94

angle. meta

3.4. Worn surface study

Fig. 6. X-ray diffraction analysis of the wear debris on: (a) Fe,o,, cy-Fe and
Si peaks; and (b) Al, Si and cu-Fe peaks.

Worn surfaces and subsurfaces of the alloys were studied

by using a Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dis-

persive X-ray Analyzer. Worn surfaces of the ALSI, LM13

and ASMC- 1 alloys exhibited different surface morphologies

M. Harm

et al. /Wear

194 (1996) 51-59

Fig. 8. Crack propagation

alloy.

inclined to the sliding direction in the ASMC-

caused directly by frictional heating and diffusion from the

hot spots as reported by Beesley and Eyre [ 161. It can be
concluded that the alloys tend to exhibit two wear mechanisms, i.e. oxidative and adhesive wear. In the run-in period
of dry sliding, an oxide layer was produced, oxide debris
broke away from the surface and then adhesive wear occurred
which was characterized by the production of metallic wear
debris.

4. k-values

Fig. 7. Worn surface of the: (a) ALSI, (b) LM13, and (c) ASMC-1. The
sliding direction is from left to right.

as shown in Fig. 7, parts (a)-(c),

respectively. The white
layer structure on the worn surface shown in the figures indicates that the temperature at the friction surfaces is very high
[ 171. Most of the worn surfaces show abrasion grooves and
smooth strips, sometimes with some cracks. A number of
cracks propagate across a smooth layer inclined to the sliding
direction as shown in Fig. 8. Edge cracking initiated at the
edge of the smooth strips propagating away from the edge
intercept to form metal debris. For subsurface studies, the
worn surface was sectioned normal to the worn surface and
parallel to the wear tracks using a low speed diamond saw.
The section piece was mounted and polished and then etched
with 0.5% HF solution. The formation of the oxide layer is

From the results, presented in Fig. 4, the wear rates for

ALSI, LM13, ASMC-1 and ASMC-1 (HT) are3.972 X lo-,
3.257 X 10-9, 2.954~ 10e9 and 2.7273 X 10m9 cm3 cm-,
respectively.
As the wear rates are in the order of
lo- cm3 cm-i, this suggests that the wear in these alloys is
in the oxidative regime of wear [ 181. By using the wear rate,
values of the specific wear rate, k can be calculated. The
k-values of the ALSI, LM13, ASMC-1 and ASMC-I (HT)
are
5.795 X 10e4,
4.750X 10e4,
4.311 X 10e4
and
3.981 X lop4 mm3 N- m-l,
respectively.
Although
not
uncommon for dry running (unlubricated)
tests, these kvalues are probably too high for direct practical application
[ 19,201. Still the authors expect that the beneficial effects of
alloying will also emerge under more practical, i.e. lubricated
conditions [ 2 11.

5. Conclusions
1. The presence of magnesium, cerium, zirconium and zinc
lead to age-hardening, due to the formation of precipitates.
2. The wear rate increases linearly with sliding distance.
in wear resistance
3. There is a significant improvement
when Zr, Ce and Zn are introduced into the Al-Si alloys.
4. Heat treatment further improves the wear resistance of the
Al-Si alloys.
5. Because of their high k-values, the alloys are probably not
suitable for dry (unlubricated)
applications.

M. Harun et al. /Wear

Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Department of Public Service, Government of Malaysia for financial support. They are
also thankful to Nuclear Energy Unit, Ministry of Science,
Technology
and Environment,
Malaysia
for technical
support.

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Biographies
Mohd Harun: is a Ph.D student.
I.A. Talib: is Head of Physics Department.A.R.
Daud: is
Head of Materials Science Programme, Faculty of Physical
and Applied Sciences, Universiti
Kebangsaan
Malaysia,
Malaysia.