Dry sliding wear behavior of as-cast ZE41A magnesium alloy

In present work, an attempt has been made to investigate the wear behavior of as-cast ZE41A magnesium alloy during dry sliding. The experiments were performed using pin-on-disc type wear apparatus against a EN32 steel counterface in a load range of 30-150 N, sliding velocity range of 0.5-2.5 m/s and at a constant sliding distance of 1500 m. Microstructural investigations on the worn surfaces were undertaken using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) for determination of type of damage and nature of distortion at the surface. Wear mechanisms such as abrasion, oxidation, delamination, plastic deformation and melting were identified. Wear maps were drawn for the test result data. Mild wear, severe wear and ultra severe wear regimes were identified using wear transition map through microstructural observations. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.