Wear behavior and microstructural evolution during dry sliding wear of AZ51 magnesium alloy

摘要

Wear behavior of AZ51 magnesium alloy was studied using a pin-on-disc type wear apparatus at 20-360 N and 0.785 m/s. Wear mechanisms were determined using scanning electron microscope (SEM), including abrasion, oxidation, delamination, thermal softening and surface melting. Microstructural evolution, plastic deformation and microhardness in the subsurfaces were examined with optical microscope and hardness tester before and after mild to severe wear transition. The subsurface microstructure experienced deformation, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and surface melting successively with increasing load. These changes in subsurface microstructure result in strain hardening and thermally-activated softening in the near-surface layers. The thermal softening originating from DRX and surface melting in subsurface is responsible for the mild to severe wear transition.