Physico-compression, sliding wear and energy absorption properties of Zn/Mg infiltrated closed cell aluminum foam

In present study, closed-cell aluminum metal foam with the addition of Zn (1 wt%) and Mg (0, 1, 1.5 and 2 wt%) were prepared through melt route method by using calcium granules as thickening agent and CaCO₃ as blowing agent and the physical, compression, sliding wear and energy absorption properties of as-prepared aluminum foam were investigated. The compressive strength was demonstrated to increase with increasing the weight percent addition of magnesium in Al+Zn-1 wt% with the characteristics of plateau region becoming flatter and longer. Sliding wear tests were conducted at varying load (5, 10, 15 and 20N) and varying sliding distance (1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 m) conditions at a constant sliding speed of 2.5 m s⁻¹ with 10 cm track diameter taken on rotating disc. The experimental results revealed that the reinforcement and the load acted as controlling factors for influencing the sliding wear behaviour of aluminum foam. Magnesium content was observed to assist in improving the interfacial bonds between aluminum matrix and zinc particles, which influenced the cell size and cell wall thickness, responsible for controlling the wear rates. In the microscopic study, it was found that adhesive wear and plastic deformation mechanism shared surface wear phenomenon of the samples at different load. (paper)