LAUSR

ABSTRACT In this research, additive friction stir processing (AFSP) was successfully employed to prepare the aluminum–tungsten carbide (Al–WC) surface composite upon 5083Al substrate. The resulting microstructures were detailedly characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron backscattered diffraction. Microhardness tests and wear tests were used to evaluate the surface properties of the AFSP surface composite. Results showed that the prepared Al–WC surface composite by AFSP had a combination of homogeneous distribution of WC particles, excellent WC/Al interfacial integrity and remarkably refined grains. The continuous dynamic recrystallization (DRX) mechanism was mainly responsible for the grain refining of 5083Al during FSP. Adding WC particles into FSP Al not only boosted the DRX kinetics but also retarded the growth of resultant grains, thereby reducing grain size. The AFSP surface composite exhibited significantly improved hardness and wear resistance compared with the as-received Al.