Comparison of the sliding wear of a novel Zn alloy with that of two commercial Zn alloys against bearing steel and leaded brass

Zinc alloys are known for their low melting point, high castability, and useful wear resistance in certain applications, and at a relatively low cost. In the recent years, many attempts have been made to substitute more expensive copper alloys for zinc-based materials in wear-critical parts. In this regard, the most investigated zinc alloy is ZA27, but good wear resistance can be also achieved by using an alloy with lower aluminium content, like Zamak2. In this paper, the sliding wear behavior of a novel zinc alloy ZnAl15Cu1 was compared to that of ZA27 and Zamak2 in order to assess its relative suitability for applications where sliding wear resistance is required. Pin-on-disk tests were carried out using both bearing steel and aleaded brass sliding partners under three loads and various sliding distances. Friction coefficient and wear rates were compared. Analyses of the worn surfaces was done to identify the damage mechanisms and to understand the friction coefficient behaviour. The ZnAl15Cu1 alloy exhibited wear resistance that is comparable to or better than that for ZA27 and Zamak2.