EFFECTS OF MATERIAL CHEMISTRY AND LUBRICATION ON WEAR BEHAVIOR OF ALUMINUM-ZINC ALLOY WITH VARIOUS CONTENTS OF SILICON

EFFECTS OF MATERIAL CHEMISTRY AND LUBRICATION ON WEAR BEHAVIOR OF ALUMINUM-ZINC ALLOY WITH VARIOUS CONTENTS OF SILICON

This research focuses on modeling the lubricated sliding wear behavior of aluminum-zinc alloys and analyzing the associated wear parameters. The study examines the impact of applied load, sliding speed, sliding duration, and silicon content on wear under both dry and lubricated conditions using a pin-on-disc test apparatus. Experiments were systematically designed using the Taguchi method, employing an orthogonal array and analysis of variance to evaluate the influence of these parameters on wear characteristics. The study aimed to establish relationships between lubricated sliding wear and wear parameters through multiple regression analysis. A confirmation experiment was conducted to validate the experimental predictions derived from these correlations. Results indicated that wear resistance improved with silicon content up to 2.5%, but declined for compositions with silicon content exceeding this threshold. Among the tested alloys, Al-25Zn–2Cu–0.4Mn–2.5Si demonstrated the lowest coefficient of friction. Lubrication effectively reduces the wear rate by decreasing friction and wear volume. Material chemistry, including silicon content, influences wear behavior in aluminum-zinc alloys, though its effect may not be statistically significant.