Wear and friction behaviour of magnesium hybrid composites containing silicon carbide and multi-walled carbon nanotubes

AbstractIn the study, commercially pure magnesium (Mg) reinforced with (i) 10 wt.% micro-sized silicon carbide (SiC) particles (ii) combination of 10 wt.% micro-sized SiC particles and 1 wt.% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), respectively, were synthesised via powder metallurgy route followed by hot extrusion. The dry sliding tests were performed using a pin-on-disc tester under four applied normal loads (5, 10, 20 and 40 N) with four sliding speeds (0.5, 1.5, 3.5 and 4.5 m/s) corresponding to a constant sliding distance of 5000 m. Wear rate for both unreinforced magnesium and its composites increased with increase in load. Under high applied load of 40 N, the wear performances for both composites are beneficial under high sliding speeds of 3.5 and 4.5 m/s, but did not improve wear resistance under low sliding speeds of 0.5 and 1.5 m/s, where delamination is significant. The coefficient of friction of both composites is significantly higher than pure magnesium below load of 20 N due to the formation...