Effect of extrusion ratio on the wear behaviour of Al-Si and Al-Mg alloys

In this study, the wear behaviour of hot extruded Al-Si and Al-Mg alloys was investigated under dry conditions. Die cast Al-Mg alloy containing 1.7% Mg and Al-Si alloy containing 3.3% Si were extruded at 1.6 and 2 ratios. Mechanical and microstructural characterisations of the extruded alloys were carried out through optical microscopy, hardness measurements and tensile testing. Wear tests were carried out on a pin-on-disc type wear device and the worn surfaces were examined under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The wear test results revealed that the extrusion ratio had an influence on the wear rate and that the samples extruded at a ratio of 1.6 had a lower wear resistance than the ones extruded at a ratio of 2.