Analysis of wear properties of Zn-based composites using the Taguchi method

Abstract

Abstract The tribological behavior of composites based on zinc aluminum ZA27 alloy, reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) and graphite (Gr) particles is analyzed using the Taguchi method and described in this paper. Two sample composites were tested: the first containing 10 % of SiC and the second containing 10 % of SiC and 3 % Gr particles. They were prepared by the compo-casting procedure. The experiments were carried out using a block-on-disc tribometer under dry sliding test conditions. The tests were conducted with sliding speeds of 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 m×s−1, normal loads of 10, 20 and 30 N and a sliding distance of 300 m. The wear surface of the composite material was examined using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The influence of various parameters on the wear behavior was investigated by means and analysis of variance (ANOVA).