Experimental and numerical investigation of Al-16Si alloy friction surfacing on AA1050 aluminum substrate: Effect of axial feeding rate

Using the smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulation method and experimental investigation, this study evaluated the effect of consumable rod axial feeding rate on microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear resistance of coatings during the friction surfacing process of an Al-Si alloy containing 16.6 wt% silicon on a commercial grade pure aluminum substrate. The interaction of coating and substrate at the interface was investigated using the thermomechanical simulation. According to simulation and experimental results, by increasing the axial feeding rate from 100 to 150 mm/min, the average deposition efficiency has increased from 36 to 43 %. The predicted results achieved from smoothed-particle hydrodynamics simulation show that by increasing the axial feeding rate from 100 to 150 mm/min, the shear stress at the coating/substrate interface increases from 86 & PLUSMN; 4 to 112 & PLUSMN; 6 MPa. By considering the average velocity at the interface, the simulation predicted the roughness with high precision. By increasing the axial feeding rate from 100 to 150 mm/min, interface roughness decreased from 105.2 & PLUSMN; 29.7 to 83.2 & PLUSMN; 26.9 & mu;m. Compared to the pure aluminum substrate, surfacing with an Al-Si alloy containing 16.6 wt% silicon results in minimum/maximum hardness and wear resistance increases by 212 / 265 % and 57 / 60 %, respectively.

Automated summary

This study investigates the impact of consumable rod axial feeding rate on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear resistance of coatings during the friction surfacing process. The interaction of the coating and substrate is examined using a thermomechanical simulation. The results show that increasing the axial feeding rate improves the deposition efficiency and shear stress at the coating/substrate interface, while decreasing interface roughness.