Effect of in-situ tribo-oxide-layer on the non-lubricated tribological behaviours of LM27/SiCp composites

ABSTRACT In this study, the influence of the in-situ tribo-oxide-layer on non-lubricated tribological behaviours of LM27/SiCp composites was studied at different applied loads. For this purpose, LM27/SiCp composites were manufactured by stir casting route with reinforcement of different amounts (3–12 wt.%) and different sizes (fine: 1–20 µm and coarse: 106–125 µm) of SiCp. A comprehensive characterization of the friction and wear mechanisms ranging from mild to severe wear for oxidative and delamination at a contact pressure of 0.125–0.624 MPa was discussed. Results indicate that the friction and wear behaviour is strongly influenced by the morphology and the nature of the oxide scale on the wear track. In-situ formation of oxide layers on the contact region of the specimen supports the self-lubrication which supports better wear performance of LM27/SiCp composites. However, these study portraits that composite with 12wt. % fine size SiCp exhibits better wear performance in comparison to the other developed composites. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT