Abstract:The effects of silicon particle(Sip) content and testing temperature on wear properties of in-situ Sip/ZA27 composites were investigated. The results indicate that the wear resistance increases firstly, then decreases, while finally increases again. The wear resistance decreases with the increase of testing temperature. But the decrease ranges of wear resistance of the composites with different Sip contents are different. All these variations of the wear resistance are determined by the wear mechanisms. As the Sip content increases, the dominative wear mechanism changes from a relatively severe regime of plastic deformation accompanied by adhesion wear to a mild regime of smear, then to a very severe regime of severe plastic deformation induced wear, and finally again to a relative mild regime of smear accompanied by abrasive wear. As the testing temperature elevates, the wear mechanism changes from a mild regime of smear accompanied by abrasive wear to a severe regime of plastic deformation accompanied by adhesion wear. The characteristics of worn surface layers determine the wear resistance and wear mechanisms.

Key words: Sip/ZA27 composites; in-situ; subsurface; wear properties