Wear behaviour of Al-Si-Fe alloy/coconut shell ash particulate composites

Wear behaviour of aluminium alloy (Al-Si-Fe) reinforced with coconut shell ash particles (CSAp) fabricated by stir casting process was investigated. The wear and frictional properties of the metal matrix composites was studied by performing dry sliding wear test using a pin-on-disc wear tester by varying the applied load from 10-50 N, speed 2.0 m/s and sliding distance 4000 m. The morphology of the worn out surface was determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the coefficient of friction increases with increasing load for the Al-Si-Fe alloy and the composites containing CSAp. It is observed that, as the applied load increases, the wear rate also increases but decreased with CSAp addition. This is because, whenever applied load increases, the friction at the contact surface of the material and rotating disc obviously increases. Hence, incorporation of the coconut shell particles in the Al-Si-Fe alloy matrix as reinforcement increases the wear resistance of the material.