A comparative study on wear properties of nanostructured Al and Al/Al2O3 nanocomposite prepared by microwave-assisted hot press sintering and conventional hot pressing

In this study, wear behavior of nanostructured Al and Al/O-2(3) nanocomposite samples prepared by an advanced technique called microwave- assisted hot press sintering process was investigated. The specimens were characterized by XRD analysis, pin-on-disk wear test and scanning electron microscopy observations. Compared to nanostructured Al, nanocomposite containing 4 wt-%Al2O3 showed a higher hardness of 175 HV and a lower wear rate of 7 x 10(-3) mg m(-1). Also, wear properties of hot-pressed samples were compared with those of nanocomposite conventionally prepared by Tavoosi et al. method. The results showed that contribution of ceramic particles in enhancing the wear resistance of nanocomposite can be eliminated by increased porosity content. Higher sintering temperature due to rapid heating rate of microwave-assisted hot press sintering method led to more densification and improvement in wear resistance in comparison with conventional method.