Wear behaviour of a novel aluminium-nanozirconia composite

Abstract

A novel aluminium-zirconia composite, with improved wear resistance, has been produced. The method consists of compacting aluminium powder mixed with cellulose fibres, which are then eliminated by a heat treatment. The compacted piece was immersed several times in a colloidal (i.e. nanosized) zirconia solution until a constant weight was reached. The solution penetrated and infiltrated the preform. Then, the aluminium matrix presented zirconia tetragonal and monoclinic phases. Wear test was carried out in a pin-on-disc machine. By measuring the weight loss it was shown that the composite had significant improvement in wear resistance, as compared to pure aluminium. © 2009 Taylor & Francis.