Effect of Bagasse ash reinforcement on the wear behaviour of Al-Cu-Mg/Bagasse ash particulate composites

The effect of Bagasse ash (BAp) particle reinforcement on the wear behavior of Al-Cu-Mg alloy has been studied. Bagasse ash particles were varied from 0 wt pct-10 wt pct with interval of 2 wt pct. Unlubricated pin-on disc tests were conducted to examine the wear behaviour of the aluminium alloy/Bagasse ash particulate composites. The tests were conducted at varying loads, from 5 to 20 N and sliding speeds of 1.26 m/s, 2.51 m/s, 3.77 m/s and 5.02 m/s for a constant sliding distance of 5000 m. The results showed that the wear rates of the Al-Cu-Mg/BAp composites are lower than that of the matrix alloy and further decrease with increasing Bagasse ash content. Wear rate increases as the sliding speed and applied load increase. The microstructure of the worn surface revealed that a large amount of plastic deformation appeared on the surface of the unreinforced alloy. While Bagasse ash reinforced Al-Cu-Mg alloy showed worn out surface that is not smooth, and grooves, scratches and parallel lines were observed. A combination of adhesion and delamination wear was in operation. These results show that improve wear properties is achievable for the aluminium alloy by the addition of Bagasse ash particles as reinforcement material.