Mechanical Properties and Adhesive Scuffing Wear Behavior of Stir Cast Cu–Sn–Ni/Si₃N₄ Composites

The modern technology developments have seeded for the necessity of composite materials that are incorporated with high hardness, high tensile strength, and better wear properties. Cu–Sn–Ni alloy as well as the composites of varying weight percentage of Si₃N₄ (5, 10, and 15) are fabricated by liquid metallurgy technique. The alloy and composites are tested for their tensile strength and hardness on Universal Testing Machine and Vickers microhardness tester, respectively. Based on the tests, Cu–Sn–Ni/10 wt. % of Si₃N₄ is found to have optimum mechanical properties. The scuff type adhesive wear behavior is studied through pin-on-disk tribometer under dry sliding conditions for Cu–Sn–Ni/10 wt. % of Si₃N₄ composite. Taguchi's design of experiments technique based on L₂₇ orthogonal array model is used for analyses of process parameters in three levels such as applied load (10, 20, and 30 N), sliding distance (500, 1000, and 1500 m), and sliding velocity (1, 2, and 3 m/s). The parameters are ranked based on the signal-to-noise ratio and the analysis of variance approach. Based on wear results, applied load is found to have highest stature on influencing wear rate followed by sliding distance and sliding velocity. A generalized wear rate equation is obtained based on the linear regression model and its feasibility is checked. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses revealed severe delamination occurred on maximum load condition. The development of this copper composite can have the possibility of replacing aluminum bearings.