Synergetic effect of in-situ TiB2 reinforcement and nano precipitation on wear behavior of ZE41 magnesium matrix composite

The rise in carbon dioxide pollution and energy consumption has increased the demand for lightweight materials such as magnesium in automotive and aerospace industries. However, magnesium alloys face challenges like poor wear resistance and mechanical strength. To overcome these limitations, a promising approach involves developing heterogeneous hybrid microstructures through reinforcement addition and microstructural engineering. This study focuses on the tribological performance of a newly developed in-situ sub-micron sized TiB₂/ZE41 composite under various microstructural conditions, comparing it to the unreinforced ZE41 Mg alloy. Wear experiments were conducted using a pin-on-disc tribometer under normal loads of 10, 20, 40, and 60 N at a sliding velocity of 1 m/s. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to analyze the worn surfaces in order to identify damage types and surface distortions. By correlating worn surface microstructures with test parameters, predominant wear mechanisms for each material condition under specific loads were determined. Results consistently showed that the presence of in-situ TiB₂ reinforcements, β-phase, and rare-earth precipitates enhanced wear resistance regardless of the load conditions. Additionally, the study established a scientific understanding of the wear behavior of ZE41 Mg alloy, with and without in-situ TiB₂ particles and precipitates, through analysis of dominant wear mechanisms, wear-induced subsurface deformation mechanisms, kernel average misorientation, grain orientation spread, and microhardness evaluation.