Microstructure, mechanical, impact resistance, and wear behavior of vacuum induction melted Zn-Zr-Ti intermetallic alloys

: The Zn-Zr-Ti alloys with different composition were developed using a vacuum induction melting followed by a homogenization treatment. The alloys compositions were Zn-1Zr, Zn-0.3Zr, Zn-0.05Zr-0.25Ti, Zn-0.15Zr-0.15Ti, and Zn-0.2Zr-0.1Ti (wt.%). The optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy results revealed that alloy composition significantly influenced grain morphology and intermetallic phase distribution (Zn 2 Zr, and TiZn 16 ). The EBSD analysis results emphasized the noticeable variation in grain size, grain boundary characteristics, and crystallographic texture among the developed alloys. It was observed that the Zn-0.15Zr-0.15Ti alloy exhibited a comparatively refined and homogeneous microstructure, whereas the Zr-only alloys showed coarser grains. Nano-indentation testing results demonstrated that Zn-1Zr alloys possessed the highest local hardness (2.24 GPa) and elastic modulus (206 GPa), while Ti-containing alloys have shown relatively low hardness values. Charpy impact testing results showed that Zn-0.15Zr-0.15Ti alloy exhibited the highest absorbed impact energy (4.3 J/mm 2 ). Fractography observations confirmed the presence of mixed fracture features in refined alloys and dominant brittle characteristics in coarse-grained compositions. Dry sliding wear tests were conducted using a pin-on-disc apparatus, which showed that the wear rate started to increase with applied load for all the investigated alloys. Among these alloys, Zn-0.15Zr-0.15Ti alloy exhibited the lowest wear rate (0.127×10 -10 mm 3 /Nm at 10 N, & 0.324×10 -10 mm 3 /Nm at 30N) and coefficient of friction (CoF: 0.392 at 10 N & 0.445 at 30 N) under both loading conditions (10 N and 30 N). SEM analysis of worn surfaces indicated that abrasive and adhesive wear were the dominant mechanisms, with delamination becoming more prominent at 30 N.