Effect of Fine TiC Particle Reinforcement on the Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of In Situ Synthesized ZA27 Alloy

The in situ method of making zinc-aluminum composites wherein TiC has been introduced has been investigated in the present paper for its microstructural, physical, and dry sliding wear behavior and compared with the base alloy. In the present study, ZA-27 alloy reinforced with 5 and 10 vol % TiC was taken into consideration. The results indicate that the wear rate and coefficient of friction of composites were lower than that of base alloy. The material loss in terms of both wear volume loss and wear rate increases with increase in load and sliding distance, respectively, while coefficient of friction follows a reverse trend with increase in load. Better performance was obtained for 5% TiC reinforcement than with 10% probably due to agglomeration of particles resulting in nonuniform dispersion. Worn surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis.