The Influence of Heat Treatment on Tribological Properties of Cu-Al-Fe-Ni Shape Memory Alloy

The effect of heat treatment on tribological properties of Cu-Al-Fe-Ni alloy under dry conditions was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) associated with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was used to evaluate the micro-structure. Dry sliding wear tests were conducted on the as-cast and heat treated samples using pin on disc machine at different applied loads (10,15,20,25 and 30 N) and sliding speed ( 1.0 , 2.0,3.0 ,4.0 and 5.0 m/s). The results showed that aging the alloy at 350 °C resulted in formation of fine alpha grains and fine κ-phase com-pared with the cast condition. These fine phases could improve the wear resistance of the investigated alloy. However, the hardness and the wear resistance decreased when the aged temperature increased. Furthermore, the results indicated that the average contact surface temperature in the wear test increased with increment of aging temperature. On the other hand, the worn surfaces revealed that the predomi-nant wear mechanism was abrasive wear.