Effect of Silicon Additions on the Wear Properties of Grey Cast Iron

This paper investigates the wear characteristic of grey cast iron composition under dry lubrication conditions. The effects of sliding speed, applied load, time and percentage of ferrosilicon additions, on the wear rate of grey cast iron were studied. The set of experimental data were taken in a controlled and sequential manner. Scanning electron microscope was used to examine the morphology of the samples as well as the worn out surfaces. Linear regression equation and analysis of variances (ANOVA) showed that the main effect of silicon additions, load and speed variable are more pronounced on the wear behaviour of the grey cast iron. Also, the result showed that the additions of silicon improved the wear resistance of the grey cast iron as the wear parameters such as speed, load and time varied. The study showed that wear transition occurred at 3.2% silicon addition.