Effect of cenosphere size on the dry sliding wear behaviour LM13-cenosphere syntactic foam

The dry sliding wear behaviour of aluminium alloy (LM13) cenosphere syntactic foam with varying cenosphere sizes has been examined at varying applied pressures and sliding speeds. It is interestingly noted that the coefficient of friction, the frictional heating and the wear rate decrease with decrease in cenosphere size. The wear rate and the frictional heating increase with an increase in applied pressure and sliding speed. The coefficient of friction decreases with increase in applied pressure and sliding speed. These have been explained on the basis of the wear surface and wear subsurface examinations. The subsurface examination indicates shearing of cenosphere shells and its alignment along the sliding direction.