Corrosion and wear performance and mechanism study of ZrB₂/AA6016

Abstract This study involved the fabrication of aluminum matrix composites reinforced with ZrB 2 /AA6016 particles using the KBF 4 -Al-K 2 ZrF 6 reaction system, the composites were then subjected to T6 heat treatment. An investigation was conducted to examine the impact of varying friction speeds on the corrosion and wear characteristics of ZrB 2 /AA6016. An investigation was conducted to study the frictional wear behavior of ZrB 2 /AA6016 in the presence of 3.5 wt% NaCl, both before and after T6 heat treatment. The study also aimed to understand the underlying mechanism of this behavior. The results indicate that the T6 heat treatment mitigates the impact of thermal stresses and strains caused by thermal mismatch, hence enhancing the material’s wear resistance. The coefficient of friction (COF) for heat-treated ZrB 2 /AA6016 is lower than that for unheated-treated ZrB 2 /AA6016. As friction increases, the pace at which the material wears down tends to decrease. At a friction wear velocity of 50 mm s −1 , the wear rate of the material is minimized both before and after heat treatment, measuring 0.23 × 10 −2 mm 3 /Nm and 0.22 × 10 −2 mm 3 /Nm, respectively. Through the utilization of XRD, SEM, EBSD, TEM, and XPS analytical techniques, it has been determined that the ZrB 2 particles exhibit strong bonding with the Al matrix. Additionally, the particle diameters range from 50 ∼ 150 nm. Following the T6 heat treatment, the grain size measured 40.53 μm, while the proportion of large-angle grain boundaries was found to be 66.4%. The accumulation of Cl − resulted in the formation of localized corrosion pits on the surface undergoing wear, hence hastening the deterioration of the material. The primary causes of wear failure are corrosive wear, abrasive wear, and oxidative wear.