Preparation and mechanical and tribological properties of A1₃Zr+6082Al composites fabricated by magnetic stirring in situ

In-situ Al 3 Zr+6082Al particulate reinforced aluminum matrix composites were prepared by the reaction of salt K 2 ZrF 6 powder with 6082Al melt under electromagnetic stirring. The results of x-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and EDS show that the in situ reinforced particles formed by Electromagnetic stirring (EMS) and prepared at 780 °C are fine and dispersed in the matrix, and the reinforced phases are well-distributed and well-shaped. The tensile test results show that the tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of in situ composites increase firstly and then decrease with the increase of preparation temperature, and the highest tensile strength of composites is 171 MPa when the preparation temperature is 780 °C. Friction and wear experiments show that the friction coefficient of the composites is lower at the initial stage because the reinforced phase particles on the surface bear most of the friction. With the deepening of the wear marks, the friction coefficient increases sharply. The wear mode is delamination and abrasive wear. When the preparation temperature is 780 °C, the wear resistance is the best and the wear rate is 3.8256 × 10 −6 (mm 3 N −1 ·mm −1 ).