• Composites Research
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.15-23
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• 2009

The lubricant tribological characteristics of $Al_2O_3$ fiber and SiC particle hybrid metal matrix composites (MMCs) fabricated by squeeze casting method was investigated using a pin-on-disk wear tester. The wear tests of the MMCs were performed according to fiber/particle hybrid ratio in the planar-random (PR) and normal (N) orientations sliding against a counter steel disk at a fixed speed and $25\;kg_f$ loading under different sliding distances and temperatures. The test results showed that the wear behavior of MMCs varied with fiber orientation and hybrid ratio. At room temperature, the lubricant wear behavior of F20P0 unhybrid PR-MMCs was superior to that of N-MMCs while the hybrid composites exhibited the reverse lubricant wear behavior. It was also revealed that the wear resistance of PR-MMCs was superior to that of the N-MMCs due to the joint action of reinforcements and lubricant film between the friction surfaces at an elevated temperature of $100^{\circ}C$ for both fiber only and hybrid cases. In case of $150^{\circ}C$, although the trend of weight loss was similar to that of others, the wear resistance of PR-MMCs was better than that of N-MMCs for hybrid MMCs.