The relationship between solid particle erosion wear and deformation hardening in aluminum alloys produced by different production methods

Abstract Solid particle erosion wear is an important wear mechanism leading to surface deformation and loss of performance in ductile materials. In this study, solid particle erosion wear tests were performed on AlSi10Mg alloy specimens produced by casting and selective laser melting (SLM) methods by impacting 300–425 μm sized silicon carbide (SiC) particles at 3 bar pressure and 30° impact angle. In the experimental process, 2.5 kg of particles were initially used and the experiments were carried out in six different stages, gradually increasing the amount of particles each time. In the last stage, 52.5 kg of particles was reached. With the experimental data obtained, weight losses and erosion rates per particle were calculated and a theoretical model considering deformation hardening was developed. In order to determine the sensitivity of the theoretical model, a sensitivity analysis was performed on the hardening exponent (n) and constant coefficient (C) found with the model. The theoretical model developed determined the hardening coefficient (n) of SLM samples to be ∿0.65, while the hardening coefficient of cast samples was found to be ∿1.71. The higher hardening coefficient of the cast samples affected the erosion rate results due to the increased particles during the erosion tests. To determine the significance of the effects of particle amount and production method on the erosion rate, a two-way ANOVA test was conducted, and both factors were found to have a statistically significant influence on the wear behavior at a high confidence level ( p < 0.0001). The surface condition and structural changes were also supported by microscope and XRD analysis. When evaluated based on the condition before and after wear, the surface change caused by damage to the surface due to wear in the cast samples is approximately 50% greater than in the SLM samples. The findings reveal the effect of the production method on erosion resistance and the decisive role of deformation hardening in this process.