Influence of Precipitation Hardening on the Sliding Wear Behavior of a Cu-Zn-Al-Mn-Si Based Brass Alloy
Special brasses containing Mn and Si possess high wear resistance due to the dispersion of hard Mn5Si3 particles. The effect of precipitation hardening on the wear resistance of a Cu–30Zn–3Al–3Mn–0.7Si based brass alloy was investigated. Dry sliding wear test was conducted using a block-on-ring configuration. The results indicated that finely, nanoscale Mn5Si3 particles precipitated from the matrix after annealing at 800 °C for 4 h, resulting in the increase of hardness from 240 to 278 HV. Both the wear loss and friction coefficient decreased, indicating the improvement of the wear resistance. From the examination of the worn surfaces, adhesive and abrasive wear were found to be the major wear forms. The adhesion and abrasion decreased after the precipitation-hardening treatment.