Influence of Alloying Element Addition on Friction and Transfer Layer Formation in Al-Mg System: Role of Surface Texture

In the present investigation, sliding experiments were conducted using pins made of pure Al, Al-4Mg alloy, Al-8Mg alloy, Mg-8Al alloy and pure Mg against steel plates of various surface textures using a pin-on-plate apparatus under both dry and lubricated conditions. The primary focus of the study was to investigate the influence of alloying elements on the coefficient of friction and transfer later formation in Al-Mg systems. The morphologies of the worn surfaces of the pins and the formation of transfer layer on the counter surfaces were observed using a scanning electron microscope. It was observed for a given surface texture that the alloying element addition decreased the average coefficient of fiction to lower values under both dry and lubricated conditions. For a given material pair, the coefficient of friction and formation of transfer layer depend on the surface texture of the hard surfaces.