Mechanical and tribological behaviour of Al—Mg—Cu(p) composite cladded on AA1050 substrate

The effect of adding copper powder and changing the rotational speed of the consumable rod during friction surfacing of Al—Mg alloy on AA1050 aluminum substrate was investigated. The copper powder was inserted by drilling holes in the cross-section of the consumable rod. The coating microstructure was studied using optical and electron microscopy, and the mechanical properties of coatings were studied using a shear test. The results showed that with increasing the rotational speed of the consumable rod from 600 to 1000 r/min, the copper powder distribution becomes more uniform, and the agglomeration of copper powder occurs less frequently. The average grain size of coatings decreased from (2.0±0.1) to (0.9±0.2) μm by increasing the rotational speed from 600 to 1000 r/min. As the rotational speed increases, the copper-rich particles become smaller and are formed as CuAl2 intermetallic compounds. The maximum load required for debonding coating from substrate increases from 16.2 to 18.4 kN by increasing rotational speed from 600 to 1000 r/min. The coating with rotational speeds of 600, 800, and 1000 r/min results in 12%, 18%, and 21% lower wear rate than that of the AA1050 substrate, respectively.