Characterization of wear and corrosion behavior of Al/Cu/MoS2/WC hybrid metal matrix composite fabricated via accumulative roll bonding process

Abstract

In this research, the structural features, tribological performance, and corrosion resistance of an Al/Cu/MoS2/WC hybrid composite fabricated by the accumulative roll bonding (ARB) method were analyzed. Microstructural observations indicated that a uniform dispersion of Cu, MoS2, and WC particles is achieved after seven ARB passes. No phase transition occurred during ARB process. Moreover, hardness tests revealed that the microhardness of both Al and Cu layers increased with increasing ARB passes, reaching 84 HV and 157 HV, respectively, after seven passes. It was further revealed that the ARB process significantly improves wear resistance of the hybrid composite, demonstrated by a decrease in wear rate from 1.38 to 0.35 mm³/Nm after seven ARB passes. Adhesive, abrasive, and delamination mechanisms were observed in all samples, with delamination dominating at higher ARB passes. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of the composite improved with increasing ARB passes, where the corrosion current density of the composite fabricated by seven ARB passes was 165 times (from 7.10 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm2 to 4.2 × 10⁻⁷ A/cm2) lower than that of the composite obtained after the first ARB pass.

Keywords

• Hybrid composite
• Wear mechanism
• Structural investigation
• Hardness
• Corrosion properties