Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374

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Materials and Design

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Dry sliding wear behaviour of Al–12Si–4Mg alloy with cerium addition

A.S. Anasyida a,b, A.R. Daud a,*, M.J. Ghazali c
a
School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
b
School of Material Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Seri Ampangan, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Prai Selatan, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
c
Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The purpose of this work is to understand the effect of cerium addition on wear resistance behaviour of
Received 29 March 2009 as-cast alloys. Al–12Si–4 Mg alloys with 1–5 wt% cerium addition were prepared using the casting tech-
Accepted 7 June 2009 nique. A sliding wear test was carried out under applied loads of 10 N, 30 N and 50 N at a fixed sliding
Available online 10 June 2009
speed of 1 m/s using a pin-on-disc configuration. The wear test was conducted in dry conditions at room
temperature of 25 °C. Detailed analysis of the microstructure, worn surface, collected debris and
Keywords: microhardness was undertaken in order to investigate the differences between the as-cast alloys with dif-
Aluminium alloy
ferent levels of cerium addition. The addition of 1–5 wt% cerium was found to lead to the precipitation of
Casting
Cerium
intermetallic phases (Al–Ce), resulting a needle-like structures. Increasing cerium content up to 2 wt%
Intermetallic improved both wear resistance and microhardness of as-cast alloys. Addition of more than 2 wt% cerium,
Wear resistance however, led to a decrease in microhardness, resulting in lower wear resistance of the alloys. Moderate
Microhardness wear was observed at all loads, with specific wear rates (K0 ) ranging from 6.82  105 with 2 wt% Ce at
applied load of 50 N to 21.48  105 mm3/N m without added Ce at an applied load of 10 N. Based on
K0 ranges, the as-cast alloys exhibited moderate wear regimes, and the mechanism of wear is a combina-
tion of abrasion and adhesion. Alloy containing 2 wt% Ce, with the highest hardness and lowest K0 value,
showed the greatest wear resistance.
Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction refine grain sizes, modify eutectic microstructures, improve distri-

Aluminium–silicon (Al–Si) alloys are widely used as engineer-
ing materials due to their light weight, ease of fabrication at a rea-
sonable cost, high strength to weight ratio, excellent castability,
corrosion resistance, good weldability, good thermal conductivity
and wear resistance properties [1]. They are, therefore, well suited
for application in aerospace, automobile, military and construction
[2]. Since Al–Si alloys have been used for tribological applications
like internal combustion engines, pistons, liners, clutches, pulleys,
rockers and pivots [3], it is becoming increasingly important to
study the tribological behaviour of aluminium-based materials
and to seek techniques to improve the wear properties of these al-
loys. On-going research has sought to enhance the mechanical and
wear resistance properties of Al–Si alloys by controlling their
microstructures via suitable casting procedures [4], heat treatment
[5,6] or addition of minor alloying elements [7,8]. The addition of
alloying elements has been found to be the easiest and most effi-
cient method to improve the mechanical properties of the alloys
[9].
Among the alloying elements, rare earth has many positive ef-
fects on high strength aluminium cast alloys. Rare earth elements
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +603 89213806; fax: +603 89213777.
E-mail address: ard@ukm.my (A.R. Daud).
bution of the inclusion phases and reduce the contents of gases and
some impurities as well as the spacing between secondary den-
drite arms. Rare earth elements also have a strong chemical appe-
tency with hydrogen and oxygen elements, which helps to reduce
the hydrogen and oxygen contents. Blowholes and pinholes which
form during the solidification process of the aluminium liquid can
also be eliminated. Thus, a compactable casting can be achieved
with rare earth elements. Besides that, rare earth elements like cer-
ium (Ce) can also increase heat resistance properties and reduce
the linear expansion coefficient of aluminium alloys [10]. Addition
of Ce as a micro-alloying element in aluminium alloys has been
found to form a number of intermetallic compounds with alumin-
ium and silicon such as Al4Ce, Al2Ce, SiCe and SiCe4 [11].
The addition of alloying elements can influence the wear prop-
erties of Al–Si alloys due to solid solution strengthening and pre-
cipitation hardening. Saheb et al. [12] have reported that the
addition of titanium (Ti) to binary Al–Si alloy improved the wear
resistance of both as-cast and heat-treated alloys due to the precip-
itation of the Al3Ti phase. However, these alloys displayed higher
wear rates, thus lower wear resistance, compared to the Al–Si bin-
ary alloy. The addition of Cu (3–5 wt%) to hypereutectic Al–Si alloy
also improved wear resistance at high loads due to the precipita-
tion of a hard-phased Al2Cu [13]. Harun et al. [11] reported that
the addition of cerium, zinc, and zirconium with subsequent heat

0261-3069/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2009.06.007
366 A.S. Anasyida et al. / Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374

Table 1 140
Chemical composition of the as-cast alloys.

Alloy Composition (wt%) 120

Microhardness (Hv)
Al Si Mg Ce Cr Fe
Al–12Si–4 Mg Bal 14 3.7 0 1.1 0.054 100
Al–12Si–4 Mg–Ce Bal 14 3.1 0.68 0.21 0.04
Al–12Si–4 Mg–2Ce Bal 14 3.6 0.93 0.22 0.039
Al–12Si–4 Mg–3Ce Bal 13 3.4 1.8 0.44 0.038 80
Al–12Si–4 Mg–4Ce Bal 13 3.4 2.4 0.26 0.046
Al–12Si–4 Mg–5Ce Bal 13 3.1 2.7 0.47 0.050
60
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Weight Percent Ce (wt.%)

treatment of as-cast Al–Si alloy enhanced the wear resistance.
Modification of Al–Si alloys by addition of other elements such
as Na and Sr can change the morphology of eutectic Si from a nee-
dle or plate structure to a globular or fibrous one. However, the
modification has only little influence on wear resistance [14].
Fig. 3. Microhardness of as-cast alloys as a function of cerium content.
This research investigated the effects of Ce addition on wear
resistance in the dry sliding wear behaviour of Al–12Si–4 Mg alloy

(a) (b) (e)

Mg2Si
C
Al-Ce
A

Mg2Si B

(c) (d)
Mg2Si
Location Element (Atomic %)
Al-Ce Mg2Si
Al Mg Si Ce
A (White contrast 50.59 1.59 36.33 11.49
region)
Al-Ce B (Dark contrast 73.31 4.37 22.32 -
region)
C (Greyish bright 64.78 6.54 25.32 3.36
contrast region)

Fig. 1. Microstructure of as-cast alloys with: (a) 0 wt% Ce, (b) 2 wt% Ce, (c) 3 wt% Ce, (d) 5 wt% Ce and (e) SEM micrograph of as-cast alloy containing 3 wt% Ce with
corresponding EDX analysis.

Fig. 2. X-ray diffraction pattern of as-cast alloy containing 5 wt% Ce.

 A.S. Anasyida et al. / Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374 367

under different applied loads. Metallographic studies of worn sur- 24

-5
Specific Wear Rate (mm /Nm) x 10
face, collected debris and subsurface region were performed to 22
0% Ce
clarify the wear mechanisms that operate in the as-cast alloy con- 20 2% Ce
taining Ce. 18 3% Ce

3
5% Ce
16
2. Experimental procedure 14
12
A series of Al–12 wt% Si–4 wt% Mg alloys with different per-
10
centages of Ce addition (1–5 wt%) were prepared from pure mate-
8
rials (Al 99.9%, Si 99.9%, Mg 99.9% and Ce 99.9%). Cerium was added
at initial stage of melting in flake form. The alloys were melted at 6
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
850 °C in graphite crucibles in an electrical melting furnace under Load (N)
an argon gas atmosphere. The melted alloys were cast in steel
moulds to produce castings 12 mm in diameter and 80 mm in Fig. 5. Specific wear rate (K0 ) as a function of load for all as-cast alloys.
length. The alloys were then machined to produce wear pins
10 mm in diameter and 15 mm in length. The specimens were
cut, mechanically ground and polished to 1 lm and then etched test was conducted in dry conditions at room temperature of
in Keller’s reagent. 25 °C.
The chemical composition of as-cast alloys was determined by
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) using a Philips X-ray spectrometer (mod- 3. Results and discussion
el PW 1480); the findings are given in Table 1. Detailed analysis of
the microstructures was carried out using an Axiotech 1000HD 3.1. Microstructure of starting materials
optical microscope and 1450 LEO SEM equipped with an Energy
Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Phase analyses were conduced The optical micrographs in Fig. 1 show the as-cast alloys to
by means of X-ray diffractometer (XRD) model D8 Advan, Bruker. comprise mainly primary a-aluminium dendritic network and in-
Hardness was measured using a Shimadzu Microhardness Tester ter-dendritic Al–Si eutectic regions with silicon phases exhibiting
(HMV-2000). Readings of the microhardness of the alloys were ta- a fibrous morphology. Due to the relatively high cooling rates
ken 10 times under a load of 100 g with indentations of 15 s. achieved via permanent moulds, fine eutectic structures were
A tribotester with a pin-on-disc configuration was used to formed. Fig. 1a shows that the microstructure of the alloy without
investigate the dry sliding wear behaviour of the alloys containing Ce addition consists of primary a-aluminium grains, a eutectic
Ce against a hardened (RC60) carbon steel EN-31 (Fe–2.3%Cr– mixture in the inter-dendritic region and Mg2Si phase. Addition
0.9%C) disc. The dry sliding wear experiments were carried out at of Ce led to the precipitation of Al–Ce intermetallic phases, which
a fixed speed of 1 m/s with loads of 10 N, 30 N and 50 N. The wear exhibited a needle-like structure [15] as shown in Fig. 1b–d. The

(a) 12 (b) 20
0% Ce 18 0% Ce
2% Ce
-3

2% Ce
-3

10
Volume Loss (mm ) x 10

Volume loss (mm ) x 10

3% Ce 16 3% Ce
5% Ce
5% Ce
3

14
3

8
12
6 10
8
4
6
2 4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Sliding Distances (km) Sliding Distances (km)

(c) 25
0% Ce
2% Ce
-3

20
Volume Loss (mm ) x 10

3% Ce
5% Ce
3

15

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Sliding Distances (km)

Fig. 4. Volume loss as a function of sliding distance for each alloy at (a) 10 N, (b) 30 N and (c) 50 N.
368 A.S. Anasyida et al. / Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374

XRD analysis of as-cast alloy containing 5 wt% Ce (Fig. 2) showed and greater tendency to initiate microcracking with greater pres-
that the needle-like structure is Al–Ce phase. ence of Al–Ce [19].
Solid solubility of Ce in aluminium has been found [16] to be
0.05 wt% at 636.85 °C, which is further reduced in the presence 3.3. Wear response
of Si and Mg. An increase in Ce content above its solid solubility
would only cause precipitation of Ce or the formation of an inter- Fig. 4 shows the wear test results, representing volume loss as a
metallic compound. With increasing Ce content up to 5 wt%, the function of sliding distance. Volume loss of as-cast alloys was
needle-like Al–Ce phase was increased and coarsened. The coars- found to increase with increasing sliding distance. Volume loss of
ening of the Al–Ce phase was most likely due to the consumption as-cast alloys initially decreased with increasing Ce up to 2 wt%
of more aluminium atoms in forming the phases. Fig. 1e shows the and then increased dramatically with Ce addition of 3–5 wt%. In
SEM micrograph of the as-cast alloy with 3 wt% Ce with corre- fact, the wear resistance behaviour of alloys containing 2 wt% Ce
sponding EDX: A (50.59% Al, 36.33% Si, 1.59% Mg and 11.49% Ce), or less was found to be lower than that of the Al–Si–Mg alloy with-
B (73.31% Al, 22.32% Si and 4.37% Mg) and C (64.78% Al, 25.32% out any Ce addition. The initial decrease in volume loss may be
Si, 6.54% Mg and 3.36% Ce). attributed to an increase in the microhardness as a result of the in-
crease in the quantity of Al–Ce intermetallic phases. As cited in
[20] the wear law states that the wear rate of a material is inver-
3.2. Microhardness sely proportional to its hardness. In other words, as the hardness
of alloys increases, their wear rate should decrease. In this re-
The effect of cerium content on the microhardness of as-cast al- search, the volume loss of as-cast alloy with added Ce 3–5 wt% in-
loys is shown in Fig. 3. The addition of 1–2 wt% cerium results in an creased linearly with the increase of sliding distance and showed a
increase in microhardness which is in agreement with Daud and decrease in microhardness, which is consistent with Archard’s rela-
Wong [17]. The increment in microhardness is due to the increase tionship [21]. (However, the as-cast alloys containing Ce below
in the quantity of the relatively hard-phase Al–Ce present [18]. 2 wt% do not fall under Archard’s law.)
However, a gradual decrease in microhardness was observed with Microstructural characteristics like morphology, size and distri-
further Ce addition and can be attributed to the greater presence of bution of hard particles have a great influence on the sliding wear
intermetallic phases. Further addition of Ce coarsens and increases properties of alloys [22]. The needle-shaped Al–Ce intermetallics
Al–Ce phases, resulting in the formation of large Al–Ce phase-free appear to have played an important role in exacerbating the wear
areas in the alloy matrix, which consequently reduces the overall process. The sharp edges of Al–Ce intermetallic phases (as indi-
reinforcement effect of as-cast alloy. Therefore, it is hardly surpris- cated in Fig. 1d) may have acted as crack nucleation sites [23]. If
ing that the hardness of the alloys would increase up to 2 wt% Ce this is so, the resultant stress concentration is more severe at the
content and decrease with further addition of Ce content. It is also interface between the tip of needle-like Al–Ce intermetallics and
known that the intermetallic phase is more brittle than the matrix the matrix [24]. Good distribution of these hard particles in the
of the alloys. This in turn leads to the higher stress concentration matrix and interfacial bonding between intermetallic particles

(a) 1.2 (b) 0.9

0.8
1.0 0 % Ce
0 % Ce
Friction Coeficient ( µ )

Friction Coeficient ( µ )

5 % Ce 0.7
3 % Ce 5% Ce
0.8 0.6
2 % Ce 3 % Ce
0.5
0.6 2 % Ce
0.4
0.4 0.3
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.0 0.0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Sliding Distances (km) Sliding Distances (km)

(c) 0.7 (d) 1.0

0% Ce
Average Friction Coefficient (µ

0.6 0.9 2% Ce
0 % Ce
Friction Coeficient ( µ )

3% Ce
0.5 5 % Ce 0.8 5% Ce
3 % Ce
0.4 0.7
2 % Ce
0.3 0.6

0.2 0.5

0.1 0.4

0.0 0.3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Sliding Distances (km) Load (N)

Fig. 6. Friction coefficient of as-cast alloy as a function of sliding distances at 10–50 N loads and average friction coefficient.
 A.S. Anasyida et al. / Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374
and the matrix alloy may assist in retaining the intermetallic par-
ticles within the matrix alloy, especially during the wear test in
which the surface is protected against severe repeated destructive
action. A strong matrix resists plastic deformation of the as-cast
alloys.
Fig. 5 gives the specific wear rate K0 as a function of load. The
values for the alloys across all levels of added Ce are in the range
of 6.82  105–21.48  105 mm3/N m, which falls within Rabi-
nowicz’s moderate wear regime [25]. The specific wear rate
was found to decrease with load for all as-cast alloys, indicating
an improvement in wear resistance, especially at the higher
loads. Sliding at higher loads increases the strain-hardening of
the materials that are in contact [1]. Therefore, the resistance
to abrasion increases, resulting in a reduction in the wear rate.
Moreover at higher loads, the real surface area in contact is
greater, which increases the gripping action between asperities
[26]. The specific wear rate of the as-cast alloy with 5 wt% Ce
showed the largest K0 value of the as-cast alloy specimens. In
contrast, alloy specimens containing 2 wt% Ce, with the highest
hardness and lowest K0 value, showed the greatest wear resis-
tance of 6.82  105 mm3/N m.
Alloys 10 N
0 % Ce
2 % Ce
5 % Ce
Fig. 7. SEM morphologies of worn surfaces of as-cast alloys at applied load 10 N and 50 N.
369
3.4. Friction coefficient
Fig. 6 shows the variation (as a function of time) in the friction
coefficient (l) of as-cast alloy containing Ce at different loads dur-
ing dry sliding. The friction coefficient was initially high, decreas-
ing to a steady state after about 3 km of sliding distance. The
higher friction coefficient values at the beginning of the test were
attributed to a direct metal on metal contact, which may cause
adhesion. However, the friction coefficient decreased after 3 km
of sliding. The decrease in friction coefficient can be attributed to
the development of oxide layers on the alloys [27], protecting the
alloys from further severe surface damage and lowering the vol-
ume loss. The friction coefficient was found to reduce with load,
with 0.8–1.2 at 10 N, 0.5–0.8 at 30 N and 0.4–0.7 at 50 N for all
as-cast alloys. Such a reduction in friction coefficient may be asso-
ciated with the formation of thicker oxide layers as load increased.
The coefficient of friction of as-cast alloys containing 2 wt% Ce was
found to be the lowest among all alloys. A good adhesion between
the substrate and the formed oxide caused less deformation in as-
cast alloys with Ce addition than in those without Ce. The friction
also depended on material properties such as hardness, strain, den-
50 N
370 A.S. Anasyida et al. / Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374
sity, shear strength, modulus of elasticity, yield and ultimate ten-
sile strength [28]. Higher hardness of alloys with Ce content as
compared to alloys without Ce (Fig. 3) may reduce the real contact
area, thus reducing fracture and deformation of the surface asper-
ities, as was demonstrated in the coefficient of friction of alloys as
shown in Fig. 6. Surface damage during sliding was caused by high
stresses at the contact surfaces which exceeded the flow strength
of the material.
3.5. Worn surface morphology
Fig. 7 shows the SEM micrograph of worn as-cast alloys at 5 km
sliding distance with selected BEI images of the same region at
50 N (Fig. 8). Typical surface damage like micro-grooves, craters
and abrasive scoring marks were clearly observable. Deeper and
wider craters were found to increase in a linear trend with increas-
ing applied load. In the EDX analyses in Fig. 8d–f the grey regions
correspond to Al-rich areas whereas the bright contrast is predom-
inantly Fe, indicating material transfer from contacting materials.
The abrasive wear behaviour of materials was generally controlled
by material parameters in addition to the sliding conditions like
normal load and abrasive medium [29].
Material loss under abrasive wear conditions was removed by
ploughing and micro-cutting. These mechanisms required penetra-
tion by hard abrasive particles which in turn are controlled by the
Fig. 8. BEI image of worn surface of as-cast alloys with (a) 0 wt% Ce, 50 N (b) 2 wt% Ce, 50 N and (c) 5 wt% Ce, 50 N with corresponding EDX analyses.
hardness of material. Therefore, hardness of as-cast alloys played a
significant role in controlling the wear rate during sliding wear.
The depth of penetration increased with increasing load, thus
increasing the depth of abrasive scoring marks. This in turn in-
creased the wear rate of as-cast alloy. In contrast, material loss
due to micro-cutting can be directly related to the volume of the
wear groove produced. At higher loads continuous abrasive action
caused material removal through micro-ploughing.
3.6. Wear debris
Wear debris generated from the experiments was collected and
examined by SEM and EDX. Fig. 9 shows the SEM images of wear
debris formed at 5 km sliding distance at different sliding loads.
Various shapes and sizes of wear debris were found as a result of
the dry sliding test. In agreement with previous research [30,31],
the shape of wear debris varied from fine particles to coarse flakes
and platelet forms.
As shown in the EDX profile in Fig. 10, the predominant ele-
ments of Al–12Si–4 Mg–5Ce are Al, Si, Mg, Fe, Ce and O. The Fe
presence may have derived in transfer from the sliding steel disc.
The element O was considered to have arisen in reactions with
the environment, indicating that the mode of wear is mildly oxida-
tive [32]. At very low loads an oxidative mechanism controls the
wear process, generating debris comprising predominantly oxides.
 A.S. Anasyida et al. / Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374
Alloys 10 N
0% Ce
2 % Ce
5 % Ce
Fig. 9. SEM micrographs of wear debris at applied load of 10 N and 50 N.
The oxidation was considered to take place due to the ability of the
metal to oxidise under ambient conditions.
The size of wear debris particle [33] was found to be related to
the applied load (W) and the hardness (H) of the material. It was
found that large flakes occurred at low loads and fine particles at
higher loads, as indicated in Fig. 9. Alloy containing 2 wt% Ce with
the highest hardness had a low W/H ratio, so for this alloy small
wear particles were expected at the higher load. This is in agree-
ment with Ojha et al. [34], who found that further increase in loads
reduced the debris particle size due to crushing of debris particles
between the surfaces under the higher loads. In general, based on
K0 value in Fig. 5 and in the presence of surface deformation with
significant micro-grooves and craters, it can be concluded that
these as-cast alloys had experienced a mild abrasive oxidative
wear with little adhesion, as indicated in Fig. 8.
3.7. Subsurface region
The SEM micrographs in Fig. 11 show the longitudinal cross-
section of worn as-cast alloys. The tribolayer was observed at
371
50 N
the outermost zone, followed by the plastic zone and unde-
formed bulk material [35]. The morphology of the outermost
zone comprised very fine agglomerated particles. Severe frag-
mentation, microvoids and cracks were significantly noted on
the top layer parallel to the sliding direction, particularly in as-
cast alloys with 5 wt% Ce. EDX analysis (Fig. 12) indicated a con-
siderable amount of Fe in the tribolayers, strongly suggesting
that mechanical mixing occurred between the Al alloys and the
counterface steel during continuous sliding. However, analysis
showed that the composition of the debris was identical to that
of the triboloyer, indicating that the debris was formed out of the
tribolayer.
The rate of tribolayer formation and the tribolayer fracture rate
together determine the wear rate, the coefficient of friction and the
thickness of the tribolayer [36]. The thickness of the mixed layer,
however, was found not to be uniform across the entire wear track.
As shown in Fig. 10c and d, the precipitates are distributed and
bent in the direction of the sliding, indicating the generation of
plastic deformation and shear gradient in the subsurface during
the sliding wear.
372 A.S. Anasyida et al. / Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374

Element Weight% Atomic%

CK 34.24 54.65
OK 13.31 15.95
Mg K 0.59 0.47
Al K 26.7 18.97
Si K 5.53 3.77
Fe K 16.98 5.83
Ce L 2.65 0.36
Totals 100 100

Fig. 10. EDX analysis of wear debris of as-cast alloy containing 5 wt% Ce.

Fig. 11. Longitudinal cross-sections of as-cast alloy containing (a) 0 wt% Ce,10 N, (b) 0 wt% Ce, 50 N (c) 2 wt% Ce, 10 N (d) 2 wt% Ce, 50 N (e) 5 wt% Ce, 10 N and (f) 5 wt% Ce,
50 N after sliding 5 km. Arrows indicate the sliding direction.
 A.S. Anasyida et al. / Materials and Design 31 (2010) 365–374
Fig. 12. EDX analysis of tribolayer of as-cast alloy containing 5 wt% Ce.
4. Conclusions
The addition of Ce in Al–12Si–4 Mg led to the precipitation of
intermetallic compound Al–Ce phase in needle-like structures.
The addition of Ce up to 2 wt% improved wear resistance and
microhardness of as-cast alloys. However, addition of more than
2 wt% of Ce resulted in a decrease in microhardness, leading to
lower wear resistance behaviour. An increase in normal load in-
creased the wear rate irrespective of alloy compositions and condi-
tions. The severity of abrasive and delamination wear mechanisms
observed on the worn surface was found to be positively correlated
with the Ce content of the alloys. Formation of craters and severe
localised plastic deformation were observed on the worn surface
of the alloys with higher Ce content, resulting in fine particulate
and flake wear debris. The size of the wear debris particle was
found to be related to the applied load and the hardness of the
material. Specifically, it was found that the large flakes occurred
at low loads and fine particles at higher loads. The tribolayer was
observed at the outermost zone, followed by plastic zone and
undeformed bulk material. The morphology of the outermost zone
comprised very fine agglomerated particles. Severe fragmentation,
microvoids and cracks were significantly noted on the top layer
parallel to the sliding direction, particularly in as-cast alloys with
5 wt% Ce. In short, the as-cast alloys exhibited moderate wear re-
gimes, and the mechanism of wear is a combination of abrasion
and adhesion. In this research we found that the alloy containing
2 wt% Ce, with the highest hardness and lowest K0 value, showed
the greatest wear resistance of 6.82  105 mm3/N m.
Acknowledgement
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia, through
research Grant UKM-01-FRGS-0052-2006.
373
Element Weight% Atomic%
OK 36.91 52.65
Mg K 1.95 1.83
Al K 42.04 35.56
Si K 6.62 5.38
Fe K 10.35 4.23
Ce L 2.13 0.35
Totals 100 100
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