Corrosion-wear behavior and synergy mechanism of Ti₃AlC₂-Al₂O₃/TiAl₃ composite in molten aluminum

Through comparing and analyzing the materials loss characteristics under pure corrosion, pure wear and corrosion-wear conditons, the corrosion-wear behavior and synergy mechanism between corrosion and wear of Ti₃AlC₂-Al₂O₃/TiAl₃ composite in molten aluminum were investigated. The results show that the loss of corrosion-wear of Ti₃AlC₂-Al₂O₃/TiAl₃ composite is two orders of magnitude lower than that of H13 steel. With the increase of load and speed, the wear of Ti₃AlC₂-Al₂O₃/TiAl₃ composite changes from abrasive wear to adhesive wear. The synergy ratio of corrosion-wear is less than 47.5% in the experiments. Under the condition of low load or low velocity, the Ti₃AlC₂-Al₂O₃/TiAl₃ composite even exhibits negative synergy. This is partly due to no intermetallic compound formed in the interface, but just a little Ti dissolved into the molten aluminum when the Ti₃AlC₂-Al₂O₃/TiAl₃ composite corroded in Al melt. On the other hand, the interpenetrating structure of TiAl₃ matrix and Al₂O₃ reinforcement improves the wear resistance of Ti₃AlC₂-Al₂O₃/TiAl₃ composite in molten aluminum.