Effect of applied load on adhesive wear and corrosive wear behaviours of two aluminium bronze (Cu-Al-Fe) alloys

In this study, the microstructure, adhesive (dry) wear and corrosive wear properties of cast C95200 and C95300 aluminium bronze alloys were investigated. The most important difference for these two alloys is that C95200 alloy contains 8.67% Al and 2.51% Fe while C95300 alloy contains 10.10% Al and 0.93% Fe. Both alloys contain 0.11% Zn and trace amounts of Sn, Ni, Si, Pb. The equilibrium element that completes 100% of these two alloys is Cu. First, 99.9% pure copper was loaded into the graphite crucible of the induction furnace and the temperature was raised to 1155°C. Then 99.9% pure iron filings were added, waited for 30 min and the molten metal was gently stirred with a graphite propeller shaft. At 1140°C, 99.9% pure aluminium was added. A protective flux containing fluoride and chloride was used to cut off contact with the atmosphere. The melted alloys were poured without waiting into a permanent mould heated to 250°C. Microstructure, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopes), EDS (Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), XRF (X-ray fluorescence), corrosive wear, adhesive (dry) wear test samples were prepared from the appropriate regions of these alloys. The corrosive wear test was carried out with a back and forth wear system in a salt water environment containing 3.5% by weight NaCl. In the corrosive wear test, at a distance of 1000 m, alloy C95200 lost 381.48% and 152.27% more weight than alloy C95300 under 10 and 20 N load, respectively, but lost 11.98% less weight under 40 N load. When the SEM and EDS results after corrosive wear were examined, it was observed that there were cracked bright parts on the surface of the C95300 alloy. When the Adhesive dry wear results under 10, 20, 40 N loads at 8000 m distance were examined, C95200 alloy lost 5.91% more weight than C95300 under 10 N load but lost 37.25%, 60.03% less weight under 20, 40 N load respectively.