Studies on Tribological and Mechanical Behavior of <scp>AlSi10Mg</scp> Processed by Selective Laser Melting

ABSTRACT The wear performance of additively manufactured (AM) AlSi10Mg components is critical for their deployment in tribological applications, yet a comparative analysis of the wear behavior under as‐built, T6, and stress‐relief (SR) conditions remains insufficiently explored. To broaden the industrial adoption of AM components, it is crucial to evaluate their wear behavior, as this underpins reliability and safety while promoting creativity in both design and material choices. This research examines the wear characteristics of the AlSi10Mg alloy created using Selective Laser Melting (SLM), evaluated in the as‐built condition and following T6 and SR heat treatments. The microstructural variations under these three states were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The0020as‐built specimens exhibited the highest hardness (137.3 HV), due to the presence of a refined α‐Al cellular framework embedded with Si particles generated by rapid solidification. Heat treatment altered this structure, leading to Si phase coarsening and a corresponding reduction in hardness to 103.35 HV in the T6 condition and further down to 73.75 HV in the SR condition. Wear experiments were carried out under applied loads ranging from 5 to 15 N (max load 15 N) for a duration of 300 s, along with assessments of the coefficient of friction (COF), the surface morphology following wear, and the loss of material. The findings indicated that the as‐built specimens consistently demonstrated lower wear volume loss across all load levels in comparison to the samples that underwent heat treatment. Additionally, the heat‐treated specimens developed compressive residual stresses, while the as‐built SLM parts primarily exhibited tensile stresses.