Wear properties of 5083 Al-W surface composite fabricated by friction stir processing

Friction stir processing (FSP) was used to incorporate tungsten particles in 5083 Al matrix to fabricate metal particle reinforced surface composites. The particles were uniformly dispersed in the matrix and the grain size was also refined by FSP. X-Ray diffraction analysis showed no intermetallic peak confirming that the tungsten particles remained in their elemental form. The composite surface layer exhibited considerably higher wear resistance compared to the base and friction stir processed (FSPed) alloy. The worn surface analysis revealed that the composite undergoes adhesive and oxidative type of mild wear at all the three loads whereas there was a transition to abrasive and delamination type of severe wear at higher loads in the base and FSPed samples.