Influence of counter-body material on the tribological performance of cold rolled 1100 aluminum alloy

Abstract

ABSTRACT The efficiency and durability of engineering systems are heavily influenced by material interactions and resulting friction and wear conditions. This is crucial for cold forming tools for aluminum alloys, where ceramics like TiN, CrN, and DLC are used to enhance tool lifespan. This study assesses less common ceramics such as Si3N4, Al2O3, and ZrO2 compared to high carbon steel (SAE52100) in a sphere-on-plate contact with 1100 aluminum under dry conditions. The goal is to identify superior ceramic coatings to improve forming processes and productivity. Tests were performed with a 10 N load, 2 Hz motion frequency, and 25 mm amplitude over 10 m. Tribological performance was evaluated through friction and wear coefficients and wear mechanisms. The results indicate that the choice of counter-body material has a minimal effect on the friction and wear coefficients. Among the tested materials, SAE52100 exhibited the highest friction (1.0042) and wear rate (1.345×10−5mm3/m·N), while Al2O3 demonstrated the lowest friction (0.9456) and wear rate (0.950×10−5mm3/m·N). Friction and wear coefficients decreased moderately with increased hardness, highlighting its role in tribosystem behavior. Despite this, wear mechanism analysis suggests minimal influence from counter-body material, as galling was observed under all conditions.