Tribological Performance of Self-lubricating Cast Al-۵Cu-۱Mg Nanocomposite Reinforced with Graphene Nano Sheets

This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of graphene nano sheets on the structural characteristics and dry sliding wear behaviour of Al-۵Cu-۱Mg aluminium alloy. The optimum amount of GNPs for proper grain refining was selected as ۰.۵ wt.%. T۶ heat treatment was applied for all specimens before wear testing. Significant improvements in wear properties were obtained with the addition of GNPs combined with T۶ heat treatment. Dry sliding wear performance of the alloy was examined in normal atmospheric conditions. The experimental results showed that the T۶ heat treatment considerably improved the resistance of Al-۵Cu-۱Mg aluminium alloy to the dry sliding wear. The results showed that dry sliding wear performance of without T۶ microstructure specimens was a lower value than that of with T۶ specimens.

Keywords:

Aluminium alloys , Casting , Graphene nano sheets , T۶ heat treatment , Dry sliding