Characterization of the Wear Response of a Modied Zinc-Based Alloy vis-a-vis a Conventional Zinc-Based ` Alloy and a Bearing Bronze at a High

Sliding Speed
B.K. PRASAD, A.K. PATWARDHAN, and A.H. YEGNESWARAN In this investigation, an attempt has been made to examine the wear response of a modied zinc-based alloy at a high speed (4.60 m/s) of sliding over a range of applied pressures. A conventional zincbased alloy and a bearing bronze have also been subjected to identical tests with a view to assess the working capability of the modied alloy with respect to the existing ones. The wear characteristics of the alloys have been correlated with their microstructural features, while operating wear mechanisms have been studied through analyses of wear surfaces, subsurfaces, and debris particles. The conventional zinc-based alloy attained most inferior wear behavior when compared with that of the modied (zincbased) alloy and the bronze. Interestingly, the modied alloy exhibited its wear response to be much better than that of the conventional zinc-based alloy due to the presence of nickel/silicon containing (hard and thermally stable) microconstituents. Moreover, the modied alloy also seized at a pressure similar to that of the bronze, although its wear rate prior to seizure was more than that of the latter. The study clearly indicates that it is possible to develop modied versions of zinc-based alloys having much improved wear characteristics over the conventional variety; the information gains special attention in view of the high speed of sliding selected in this study.

I.

INTRODUCTION

ZINC-ALUMINUM alloys containing 8 to 27 pct Al, 1 to 3 pct Cu, and 0.05 pct Mg have been observed to be a cost and energy effective substitute to a variety of bronzes, cast irons, aluminum alloys, etc. in different tribological applications.[14] Many other engineering applications have also been identied wherein the (zinc-aluminum) alloys can effectively be substituted in place of the mentioned ferrous and nonferrous alloys.[47] However, the alloys in general suffer from two major problems: dimensional instability[8] and property deterioration at elevated temperatures.[3,9,10] Dimensional instability in the mentioned variety of the zinc-based alloys arises because of the transformation of a metastable phase to a stable one in view of the copper content exceeding 1.0 pct.[8,9] The reaction proceeds very slowly at ambient temperatures but can be completed over relatively shorter durations at higher temperatures. Accordingly, the problem of dimensional instability can be taken care of through subjecting the alloys to appropriate heat treatment cycles.[9,10,11] However, the heat treatments are time consuming and also the alloys lose strength, hardness, etc. during the process.[9,10,11] Thus, the heat treatments are adopted only when urgently required for applications requiring close dimensional tolerances under high-temperature conditions. Deterioration in the properties of the zinc-based alloys at elevated temperatures occurs in view of the low melting characteristics of the alloy system.
B.K. PRASAD and A.H. YEGNESWARAN, Scientists, are with the Regional Research Laboratory (CSIR), Bhopal-462 026, India. A.K. PATWARDHAN, Professor, is with the Metallurgical Engineering Department, University of Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667, India. Manuscript submitted March 11, 1996.
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It has been suggested that partial substitution of copper, one of the important alloying elements in the zinc-based alloys producing strengthening effects, by high melting elements like silicon can reduce the problem of dimensional instability.[12,13] At the same time, the measure can also improve the elevated temperature properties of the alloys through the dispersion/generation of thermally stable microconstituents and/or by imparting solid solution strengthening. Accordingly, the range of applications of the zinc-based alloys can also be widened to a larger extent. Available information indicates that although there is a wide potential for improving the elevated temperature characteristics of the zinc-based alloys, limited efforts have been made to explore the possibilities in this direction,[10,12 16] wherein the majority of the studies have focused their attention on the inuence of adding silicon and manganese[10,12,13] and dispersing hard second-phase particles.[15,16] In view of the previous discussion, an attempt has been made in this study to examine the inuence of partially replacing copper through the addition of silicon and nickel together on the wear characteristics of a conventional zincbased alloy at a high speed of sliding over a range of applied pressures. A conventional (bearing) bronze has also been subjected to identical test conditions in order to assess alloys with respect to the former. The behavior of the alloys has been explained on the basis of their microstructural features. Mechanisms of material removal have also been examined through the analyses of wear surfaces, subsurfaces, and debris particles.

II. A. Alloy Preparation

EXPERIMENTAL

Alloys were prepared by the liquid metallurgy route in the form of 20-mm-diameter, 150-mm-long cylindrical
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Table I.

Chemical Composition of Experimental Alloys Elements, Wt Pct

C. Microscopy Microstructural characterization of the alloys was carried out on 20-mm-diameter, 15-mm-long specimens. The specimens were metallographically polished according to standard practices and etched suitably. Diluted aqua regia and potassium dichromate solution were used for etching the zinc-based alloys and the bronze, respectively. Wear surfaces and debris particles of typical specimens were xed on brass studs, sputtered with gold, and examined using a JEOL* 35 CF scanning electron microscope (SEM) at*JEOL is a trademark of Japan Electron Optics Ltd., Tokyo.

Alloy Designation 1 2 3 Leaded-tin bronze (SAE 660) Standard zinc-based alloy (ZA 27) Modied zinc-based alloy

Zn Cu Al Mg Sn Pb Ni 2.9 * * * 7.2 7.3

Si

2.5 27.5 0.03 1.0 27.5 0.03

0.9 1.0

*Balance

tached with a wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopic facility. After wear tests, selected specimens were also sectioned normal to the wear surface, mounted in polyester resin, polished according to standard metallographic techniques, and etched suitably. The specimens were then mounted on brass studs and sputtered with gold prior to their SEM examination.

III. A. Microstructure

RESULTS

Fig. 1A schematic representation of the pin-on-disc wear test conguration.

castings using an electrical furnace. The alloy melts were solidied in cast iron molds. Table I shows the chemical composition of the alloys. B. Sliding Wear Tests Dry sliding wear tests were conducted on 8.0-mm-diameter, 53-mm-long cylindrical samples against an EN25 (0.3 pct C, 0.7 pct Cr, 2.5 pct Ni, 0.5 pct Mo, and remaining Fe) steel counterface heat treated to a hardness level of HRc 32. The sliding speed selected in this study was 4.60 m/s. The equipment used for the purpose was a Cameron-Plint (Wokingham, United Kingdom) make pin-on-disc wear test apparatus (Figure 1). Pressure on the specimens was increased in steps prior to their seizure through a hydraulically operating loading mechanism. The tests were conducted up to a predetermined sliding distance of 500 m at a specic applied pressure except at the seizure pressure. In the latter case, the tests were stopped as soon as specimen seizure was indicated in the form of high rate of temperature rise, large material adhesion to the counterface, and abnormal noise from the pin-disc assembly. Wear rates of the specimens were computed by the weight loss technique. A Mettler microbalance was used for weighing the specimens. The extent of frictional heating was assessed by measuring the temperature near the mating surface of the test pins as a function of test duration. A chromel/alumel thermocouple was inserted into a hole made in the specimens at a distance of 1.5 mm away from the mating surface.
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Figure 2 shows the microstructural features of the alloys. The bronze revealed the presence of primary , the coppertin intermetallic compound, and discrete particles of lead (Figure 2(a), regions marked A through C, respectively). On the contrary, the conventional zinc-based alloy delineated primary dendrites, surrounded by the eutectoid and metastable phase (Figure 2(b), regions marked by A and D and an arrow, respectively). The features of the modied zinc-based alloy in terms of the presence of priin the mary dendrites surrounded by the eutectoid interdendritic regions (Figure 2(c)) were similar to those of the conventional zinc-based alloy (Figure 2(b), regions marked A and D, respectively). However, the existence of nickel- and silicon-containing phases were also observed in the modied alloy (Figure 2(c), regions marked E and F, respectively). B. Wear Behavior The wear rate of the alloys has been plotted as a function of applied pressure in Figure 3. The wear rate in general increased with pressure. Further, one, two, and three wear regimes (indicated by different slopes) were observed in the case of conventional and modied zinc-based alloys and the bronze, respectively (Figure 3). It may be noted that the wear rate vs pressure curve for the bronze attained an increased slope at low applied pressures. This was followed by a reduction in the slope of the curve in the intermediate pressure range, and nally the slope of the curve increased again when the applied pressure was increased further. In the case of the conventional zinc-based alloy, the wear rate increased with pressure at a constant rate over the entire range of the applied pressures (Figure 3). On the contrary, the modied (zinc-based) alloy experienced a lower rate of increase in the wear rate with pressure up to a specic pressure. The slope of the wear rate vs pressure curve

METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

(a)

(b)

Fig. 3Wear rate (volume removed/sliding distance) of the alloys plotted as a function of applied pressure.

(c)
Fig. 2Microstructure of (a) bronze, (b) the conventional zinc-based alloy, and (c) the modied zinc-based alloy. (A: , B: Cu-Sn intermetallic compound, C: lead particles, D: eutectoid , arrow: , E: nickelbased compound, and F: silicon).

increased considerably over the former beyond the (specic) pressure (Figure 3). A comparison of the wear behavior of the alloys also showed that the modied zinc-based alloy attained signicantly reduced wear rates and higher seizure pressure than that of the conventional (zinc-based) alloy (Figure 3). The former alloy also exhib-

ited its wear rates to be comparable to those of the bronze in the low pressure regime. At higher applied pressures, however, the modied (zinc-based) alloy experienced signicantly higher wear rates than those of the bronze while the seizure resistance of the two alloys was identical. Figure 4 represents the temperature rise near the mating surface of the zinc-based alloys and the bronze plotted as a function of test duration at selected applied pressures. The temperature increased gradually with the duration of the test in each case, the rate of temperature rise increasing with pressure. Moreover, the rate of the rise in temperature was high in the beginning followed by a lower rate of increase at longer test durations. It may also be noted from Figure 4 that the bronze attained least temperature rise when compared with those of the zinc-based alloys under identical test conditions. Further, the extent of heating in the case of the modied zinc-based alloy was comparable to that of the bronze at a low applied pressure. However, higher pressures caused a reduced extent of (frictional) heating in the case of the modied zinc-based alloy than that of the conventional (zinc-based) alloy. Maximum temperature rise near the specimen surface has been shown as a function of pressure in Figure 5. Increasing temperature with pressure in all the cases may be noted in the gure. Further, the modied zinc-based alloy experienced a lower extent of heating as compared to that of the

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Fig. 5Maximum temperature rise near the specimen surface plotted as a function of applied pressure.

Fig. 4Temperature rise vs test duration curves for the alloys.

conventional (zinc-based) alloy but higher than the bronze in general. C. Wear Surfaces Wear surfaces of the bronze are shown in Figure 6. A considerable extent of plastic deformation was observed on the wear surface of the specimens tested at low applied pressures (Figure 6(a)). A few deeper wear grooves were also observed on the surface (Figure 6(a), region marked with an arrow). Similar were the observations made in the case of the specimens tested at higher pressures (Figure 6(b)). X-ray dot maps of lead, iron, and copper corresponding to Figure 6(b) are shown in Figures 6(c) through (e), respectively. Characteristics of the wear surfaces generated in the case of the zinc-based alloys are shown in Figure 7. The conventional zinc-based alloy revealed extensive wear-induced plastic deformation and surface damage at low applied pressures (Figure 7(a)). A magnied view delineated entrapment of debris particles in the wear grooves (Figure 7(b)). Testing the alloy at higher pressures considerably increased the extent of the (surface) damage (Figures 7(c) and (d)). Presence of microcracks on and regions in a process of being separated from the surface can also be seen in Figure 7(d) (regions marked by an arrow and A, respectively). The modied zinc-based alloy experienced a re3516VOLUME 27A, NOVEMBER 1996

duced degree of damage and plastic deformation on its wear surface at low pressures (Figure 7(e)) over the conventional (zinc-based) alloy (Figure 7(b)). So was the trend observed by the former alloy at increased pressures also. However, seizure in both cases generated wear surfaces with identical features (Figures 7(f) and (g) vs (c) and (d)) except that regions like the ones marked A in Figure 7(d) were not observed in the modied zinc-based alloy (Figures 7(f) and (g)). A typical example of the entrapment of debris particles on the wear surface is shown in Figure 7(g) (region marked B). D. Subsurface Studies Subsurface regions of the alloys are shown in Figure 8. The bronze revealed ow of the microconstituents in the direction of sliding and microcracks below the wear surface at low applied pressures (Figure 8(a), regions marked by A and an arrow, respectively). Regions in a process of being separated from the (wear) surface may also be seen in Figure 8(a) (region marked B). Higher pressures at the speed led to a considerably reduced extent of microcracking in the bronze (Figure 8(b), top portion). Moreover, the extent of wear-induced deformation and the fragmentation of the microconstituents in the regions close to the wear surface and the depth of the deformed region below the (wear) surface were also higher in this case (Figure 8(b)) than at lower pressures (Figure 8(a)). It may also be noted that the degree of deformation decreased gradually away from the wear surface (Figure 8, top portion). The conventional zincbased alloy exhibited its subsurface regions to have undergone considerable wear-induced deformation along with limited microcracking over the entire range of pressures
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Fig. 6Wear surfaces of the bronze at (a) 1.0 MPa and (b) 10.0 MPa. (c) through (e) X-ray dot maps of lead, iron, and copper, respectively, corresponding to (b). (Arrow: deeper wear groove).

(e)

(Figures 8(c) and (d), top portion). On the contrary, the modied (zinc-based) alloy showed practically no microcracking in the subsurface regions (Figures 8(e) and (f)) unlike the conventional composition (Figures 8(c) and (d)). However, the extent of deformation in the former alloy (Figures 8(c) and (f), top portion) was similar to that in the case of the conventional one (Figures 8(c) and (d)).
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

E. Wear Debris Figure 9 reveals the debris particles of the alloys. In general, the majority of the debris particles were aky. However, a few machining chips were also observed in the debris (Figures 9(b), (c), and (e) and the regions marked with arrows). The debris of the bronze at low applied presVOLUME 27A, NOVEMBER 19963517

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Fig. 7Wear surfaces of (a) through (d ) the conventional zinc-based alloy and (e) through (g) the modied (zinc-based) alloy: (a), (b), and (e) 1.0 MPa, (c) and (d) 2.0 MPa, and (f) and (g) 10.0 MPa. (Arrow: microcracks, A: regions in a process of being separated from the wear surface, and B: entrapped debris particle).

sures was somewhat coarser (Figure 9(a)) than the one at higher pressures (Figure 9(b)). However, the (debris) particles in the latter case were more bulky (Figure 9(b)). On the contrary, the debris of the conventional zinc-based alloy was ner at low pressures (Figure 9(c)) when compared with that at higher pressures (Figure 9(d)). The modied zinc-based alloy generated much smaller debris (Figures 9(e) and (f)) than the conventional (zinc-based) alloy (Figures 9(c) and (d)). Increasing pressure affected the debris size of the modied zinc-based alloy (Figures 9(e) and (f)) in a manner similar to that of the conventional alloy (Figures 9(c) and (d)). However, the extent of the increase in size with pressure in the former case was much less (Figures 9(e) and (f)).

IV.

DISCUSSION

The microstructural features of leaded-tin bronzes are basically controlled by the solidication characteristics of the copper-tin system.[17] The rst phase to solidify in this case is the copper-rich primary (the solid solution of tin in copper), whereby excess tin is rejected by the solidifying ( ) phase to the surrounding liquid. As a result, copper-tin
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intermetallic compounds[18,19] are formed in the interdendritic regions of the primary . Thus, the microconstituents of the bronze comprised primary along with copper-tin intermetallic compound(s) and particles of lead (Figure 2(a), regions marked A through C, respectively). It may be noted that the phase (in the bronze) is ductile in nature and provides compatibility and hence support to the hard load bearing intermetallic compounds during sliding.[10,20] Soft lead particles in the alloy smear on the mating surfaces and perform the role of a solid lubricant when a required degree of (frictional) heat is generated at the specimen surfaces.[20,21] Under the circumstances, the lead particles ooze out of their sites due to the difference in the coefcient of the thermal expansion of the (copper) matrix and the (lead) particles. This facilitates the smearing of the latter, causing improved wear performance. On the contrary, in the event of the generation of lower (frictional) heat, the particles of lead make the alloy crack sensitive and facilitate microcracking[20] like graphite in metal matrix composites.[22] As a result, the particles get engulfed in the coarser debris formed thereby and do not get a chance to smear on the specimen surface.[20,21] This leads to inferior wear resistance.[20]
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

(e)

(f)

(g)
Fig. 7Continued. Wear surfaces of (a) through (d ) the conventional zinc-based alloy and (e) through (g) the modied (zinc-based) alloy: (a), (b), and (e) 1.0 MPa, (c) and (d) 2.0 MPa, and (f) and (g) 10.0 MPa. (Arrow: microcracks, A: regions in a process of being separated from the wear surface, and B: entrapped debris particle).

The wear rate of the bronze increased at a higher rate with pressure in the beginning (Figure 3) due to the microcracking tendency of the alloy (Figure 8(a), top portion) imparted by the discrete lead particles due to less frictional heating during the process (Figure 4). At higher pressures, the extent of frictional heating was sufcient enough (Figure 4) to suppress the microcracking tendency of the bronze (Figure 8(b), top portion) and hence reduce the rate of increase in the wear rate (Figure 3). Formation of lead lm on the specimen surface under the circumstances (Figures 6(b) through (e)) further conrms that lead was able to perform the role of a solid lubricant[20,21] causing wear behavior of the alloy to improve (Figure 3). The presence of a considerable quantity of iron (oxide) on the wear surface (Figures 6(b) through (e)) suggests an improved extent of interaction of the alloy with the (steel) counterface during sliding at higher pressures, thereby facilitating the formation of an (stable) iron (oxide) lm by transfer and back transfer events and mechanical alloying.[2328] Such an iron (oxide) lm also produces a lubricating effect and improves
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

the wear resistance of the alloy,[29,30] as shown in Figure 3. The white structureless topmost region in Figure 8(b) also suggests the formation of an (iron) oxide layer/lm on the wear surface.[2932] The formation of the lubricating lms of lead and iron (oxide) on the wear surface of the specimens tested at lower applied pressures was not observed to any signicant extent.[20] Too high a frictional heating (Figure 4) caused material fusion with the disc and hence specimen seizure to take place (Figure 3). The zinc-based alloys comprised 27.50 pct aluminum (Table I) which fall in the hypereutectoid range considering the zinc-aluminum equilibrium diagram.[33] The rst forming phase in this case is the primary (the solid solution of zinc in aluminum) wherein the excess zinc is rejected to the surrounding liquid. The latter transforms nally to euat a specic temperature and composition.[10] tectoid Accordingly, the alloy comprised primary dendrites sur(Figure 2(b), regions rounded by the eutectoid marked A and D). Copper, when present beyond 1 pct in the alloys, forms metastable phase,[8,9] while nickel and
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(a)

(b)

(d) (c)

(e)

(f)

Fig. 8Subsurface regions of (a) and (b) the bronze, (c) and (d ) the conventional zinc-based alloy, and (e) and (f ) the modied zinc-based alloy: (a), (c), and (e) 1.0 MPa, (b) 10.0 MPa, (d) 2.0 MPa, and (f) 10.0 MPa. (A: ow of microconstituents in the sliding direction, B: region in a process of being separated from the wear surface, and arrow: subsurface cracks).

silicon form complex intermetallic compounds and primary silicon particles,[10,34] as shown in Figure 2(c) (regions marked E and F, respectively).
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It may be mentioned that zinc-based alloys (like the conventional one) in general exhibit low melting characteristics in view of the presence of (soft) and solid solutions.
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

Fig. 9Wear debris particles of (a) and (b) the bronze, (c) and (d ) the conventional zinc-based alloy, and (e) and (f ) the modied zinc-based alloy: (a), (c), and (e) 1.0 MPa, (b) 10.0 MPa, (d) 2.0 MPa, and (f) 10.0 MPa. (Arrow: machining chips).

However, at low operating temperatures (less than 120 C), the phases impart load bearing capacity and lubrication, respectively.[10,13] As a result, the alloys offer good wear resistance.[10] On the contrary, higher temperature conMETALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

ditions cause the alloys to fuse with the counterface and seize. The presence of hard thermally stable microconstituents enhances the elevated temperature strength and hence load bearing capability of the alloys.[10,15,16] This also
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causes their improved wear performance at high temperatures since the softer lubricating and load bearing phase becomes able to play its role more efciently under the conditions.[10,12] The conventional zinc-based alloy showed maximum wear rates and minimum seizure pressure (Figure 3) due to its low melting characteristics and hence lack of thermal stability in view of the presence of soft and .[10] Inferior wear resistance of the alloy was also evident from severely damaged wear surfaces (Figures 7(a) through (d)), subsurface regions (Figures 8(c) and (d)), and coarse debris formation (Figures 9(c) and (d)). The presence of cracks and regions attached to the bulk in a process of being separated from the (wear) surface to form wear debris (Figure 7(d), regions marked by an arrow and A, and Figures 8(c) and (d)) also suggests the formation of coarse debris particles (Figures 9(c) and (d)). The existence of hard, thermally stable, and load bearing nickel/silicon comprising phases (Figure 2(c), regions marked E&F) caused improved wear characteristics (i.e., reduced wear rates and enhanced seizure pressure) of the modied zinc-based alloy as compared to that of the conventional (zinc-based) alloy (Figure 3). The observation was further supported by the formation of considerably ner debris (Figures 9(e) and (f)) and less damaged subsurface regions (Figures 8(e) and (f)) and wear surfaces (Figure 7(e)) in the case of the modied alloy than in the case of the conventional zinc-based alloy (Figures 9(c) and (d), 8(c) and (d), and 7(a) and (b), respectively). Seizure as usual caused signicant surface damage in the case of the (conventional and modied) zinc-based alloys (Figures 7(c), (d), (f), and (g)) and material fusion with the disc leading to high wear rates (Figure 3). Material removal in the present investigation in general appeared to take place by the removal of the well-deformed transfer layer (Figures 8(b) through (f)) except in the case of the bronze at lower pressures; in the latter case, considerable subsurface cracking was noticed along with limited wear-induced deformation (Figure 8(a)). In addition, abrasion also contributed to material loss. This was evident from the entrapped machining chips on the wear surface (Figure 7(g), region marked B) and the existence of similar chips in the debris (Figures 9(b), (c), and (e) regions marked with an arrow). Such chips have been conrmed to be iron elsewhere[35] and suggested to be derived from the steel counterface during the process of wear. The presence of deeper wear grooves on the surface (Figure 6(a), region marked with an arrow) further indicates abrasion to be one of the operating wear modes in addition to adhesion leading to material loss.[35] Initially high rate of temperature rise with the test duration (Figure 4) could be attributed to the running-in period wherein the nature of contact between the mating surfaces starts from asperity-to-asperity mode. During the process, the asperities get deformed, fragmented, and oxidized. Some of the particles are removed from the mating surfaces to form debris while the remaining get entrapped on the surfaces. The entrapped particles produce abrading action on the surface and generate a higher rate of frictional heating (Figure 4). However, with the progress of time, the mode of contact changes from the initial asperity-to-asperity to area-to-area and thereby enables the applied load to be shared by a wider (effective) area. Thus, the reduced
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stress condition causes mild wear to occur at longer test durations and hence the rate of the generation of the frictional heating reduces (Figure 4). The different appearance of the (subsurface) regions below the wear surface (Figure 8, top portion) results from the varying extent of wear-induced plastic deformation they experience and the deformation characteristics of the alloy system. It may be noted that the degree of deformation decreases gradually below the wear surface ultimately reaching zero in the (unaffected) bulk. The presence of white and structureless[36,37] regions (Figures 8(b), (e), and (f)) is caused by extremely severe deformation wherein ultrane microconstituents are generated as a result of a high rate of straining and thermal cycling.[3640] Regions just below the white layers comprised relatively coarser microstructure than the former, i.e., the white layer (Figure 8(b)) in view of a lower degree of deformation. A further reduction in deformation caused only material ow in the direction of sliding (Figure 8(b)) while practically no deformation displayed the normal bulk structure (Figure 8). An appraisal of the observations made in this study indicates considerably improved wear resistance of the modied zinc-based alloy over the conventional composition due to the presence of the thermally stable nickel/silicon containing phases in the former case. The extent of the improvement was so much so that the (modied) alloy attained seizure resistance very close to that of the bronze, although wear rates in the former case were higher (Figure 3). The aspect becomes more important in view of the high speed of sliding adopted in the present investigation. The modied alloy is also expected to cause less dimensional problems in view of its reduced copper content as discussed earlier. Thus, the study strongly suggests that it is quite possible to increase the working capability of zinc-based alloys through appropriate alloy design and development. This could widen the range of applications of the alloy system by upgrading its high-temperature properties through the dispersion of thermally stable microconstituents like the ones in the present investigation.

V.

CONCLUSIONS

1. The bronze comprised primary dendrites along with complex Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds and discrete particles of lead while the conventional zinc-based alloy revealed the presence of primary and eutectoid along with . Addition of nickel and silicon caused the formation of hard and thermally stable microconstituents. 2. The conventional zinc-based alloy exhibited signicantly high wear rates and low seizure resistance while the modied zinc-based alloy attained much better wear performance. Interestingly, the modied alloy composition showed its seizure pressure to be close to that of the bronze (although higher wear rates were observed in the former case). This aspect becomes signicant from the point of view of the considerably high sliding speed adopted in this study. 3. Inferior wear resistance in general was also supported by the formation of coarse debris particles and considerable wear surface/subsurface cracking and damage.
METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

4. Abrasion, in addition to adhesion, also contributed to material loss. 5. The modied zinc-based alloy contained a signicantly lower amount of copper (1.0 pct) as compared to that in the conventional (zinc-based) alloy (2.5 pct). Thus, the former alloy is also expected to reduce the problem of dimensional instability inherent with the conventional zinc-based alloy(s) at high temperatures which occurs due to the presence of a large quantity of copper. 6. The study also indicates that there exists a great potential to improve the wear properties and thermal and dimensional stability of zinc-based alloys through appropriate alloy design and development. This could also widen the range of applications of the alloy system.

REFERENCES
1. 2. 3. 4. K.J. Altorfer: Met. Prog., 1982, vol. 34, pp. 29-31. T.S. Calayag: Min. Eng., 1983, vol. 35, pp. 727-28. E.J. Kubel: Adv. Mater. Proc., 1987, vol. 132, pp. 51-57. T.S. Calayag: Proc. Int. Symp. Zinc-Aluminium (ZA) Cast Alloys, 25th Annual Conf. of Metallurgists, Toronto, Aug. 1720, 1986, G.P. Lewis, R.J. Barnhurst, and C.A. Loong, eds., CIM, Canada, pp. 30513. R. Lyon: Proc. Int. Symp. Zinc-Aluminium (ZA) Cast Alloys, 25th Annual Conf. of Metallurgists, Toronto, Aug. 1720, 1986, G.P. Lewis, R.J. Barnhurst, and C.A. Loong, eds., CIM, pp. 289-304. E.M. Snodgrass and J.D. Rutherford: Proc. Int. Symp. Zinc-Aluminium (ZA) Cast Alloys, 25th Annual Conf. of Metallurgists, Toronto, Aug. 1720, 1986, G.P. Lewis, R.J. Barnhurst, and C.A. Loong, eds., CIM, pp. 327-37. B.K. Prasad, S. Das, A.K. Jha, O.P. Modi, R. Dasgupta, and A.H. Yegneswaran: Proc. XI Nat. Convention of Mechanical Engineers, Tribology for Energy Conservation in Industries, A.D. Telang and H.B. Khurasia, eds., Bhopal, India, Nov. 2526, 1995, The Institution of Engineers, Calcutta, India, pp. M1-M9. K. Lohberg: Z. Metallkd., 1983, vol. 74, pp. 456-57. E. Gervais, H. Levert, and C.A. Loong: J. Met., 1985, vol. 37, pp. 43-47. B.K. Prasad: Ph.D. Thesis, University of Roorkee, Roorkee, India, 1994. C.A. Loong: Proc. 14th Die Casting Congr. Expo., Toronto, May 11 14, 1987, SDCE, USA, pp. 1-7. P.P. Lee, T. Savaskan, and E. Laufer: Wear, 1987, vol. 117, pp. 79-89. S. Murphy and T. Savaskan: Wear, 1984, vol. 98, pp. 151-61.

5. 6.

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METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A

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