In the past few years, the functionally graded materials (FGMs) have proved useful in many industrial applications such as aerospace, automotive, transportation and infrastructure because of their advantages like the ability to control mechanical properties, residual stresses, wear, and corrosion behavior through a smooth gradation of the elements in a particular direction of the products. In this current work, the microstructural and wear properties of AZ91 alloy reinforced with silicon carbide particles (SiC_p) produced through the centrifugal casting method were investigated. Four weight fractions of SiC_p with 10 µm average size were used to fabricate functionally graded (FG) tubes in the two mold rotational speeds of 1200 and 1500 rpm. Microstructural, microhardness, and wear tests were used for characterizing the developed FG tubes. From the results obtained, the gradient distribution of SiC particles inside the AZ91 matrix alloy substantially improved hardness and wear resistance for the FG tubes comparing to unreinforced alloy. Moreover, the mold rotational speed is the main factor in controlling the distribution of particles, thus determining the gradient properties of the manufactured FG tubes. These findings suggest that FG tubes are useful for aerospace and automotive applications that require more excellent surface resistance.

Graphic abstract

中文翻译：

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梯度结构对汽车应用离心铸造功能梯度镁基复合材料磨损特性的影响

在过去的几年中，功能梯度材料（FGM）已被证明可用于许多工业应用，例如航空航天，汽车，运输和基础设施，因为它们具有控制机械性能，残余应力，磨损和腐蚀行为的能力等优点。元素在产品特定方向上的平滑渐变。在当前的工作中，研究了通过离心铸造法生产的碳化硅颗粒（SiC _p）增强的AZ91合金的组织和磨损性能。SiC _p的四个重量分数平均尺寸为10 µm的模具用于制造功能分级（FG）的管，模具旋转速度分别为1200和1500 rpm。显微组织，显微硬度和磨损测试用于表征已开发的FG管。根据获得的结果，与未增强的合金相比，AZ91基体合金内部SiC颗粒的梯度分布显着改善了FG管的硬度和耐磨性。此外，模具旋转速度是控制颗粒分布的主要因素，从而决定了制造的FG管的梯度特性。这些发现表明，FG管可用于需要更出色表面电阻的航空航天和汽车应用。

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