Effects of CeO₂ on microstructure, friction and wear properties of SiCp/Al-Si composites

Silicon carbide particle (SiCp)/aluminum (Al)-silicon (Si) composites with the addition of cerium (IV) oxide (CeO₂) were fabricated by powder metallurgy. The effect of cerium (IV) oxide content on microstructures, friction, and wear properties of the SiCp/aluminum-silicon composites were investigated. The modification mechanism of cerium (IV) oxide is also discussed in this paper. The results show that cerium (IV) oxide can refine the precipitated silicon particles. When the cerium (IV) oxide content was 0·6%, the modification effect was the best. When the cerium (IV) oxide content was more than 0·6%, the reunion phenomenon of cerium (IV) oxide gradually increased with the increase in the cerium (IV) oxide content. When the cerium (IV) oxide content was 0·6%, the friction factor and friction force was the largest and the abrasion loss was the smallest. The wear mechanism of composites with varying contents of cerium (IV) oxide was abrasive wear, and the wear surface of the composite with 0·6% cerium (IV) oxide was the smoothest.