Aluminum bronzes are often used in industries when wear-resistant materials are needed. AMPCO METAL has developed a technology that makes Aluminum Bronze even more wear-resistant to better support companies in wear-intensive applications.
Are regular downtimes, and long-lasting maintenance work part of your everyday life? Then you are not alone. Many companies face the same issues. According to studies, over 50 % of all machine damage is caused by wear.
Furthermore, wear leads to cumulative costs of up to 7 % of the gross domestic product (GDP) in industrialized countries. Why should a company incur this extra burden and cost when there are ways to reduce wear drastically?
Wear, for the most part, is defined as mechanical abrasion, i.e., the removal of or damage to a material surface due to, for example, abrasive, scratching, chemical or thermal stress. This leads to wear of the components and possibly the loss of their function. Each material has its proneness to wear. Wear resistance is the property that defines how prone a material is to wear. And the best thing is: there are ways to protect against the impact of wear.
Wear protection is the improvement in the resistance of a component to acting forces such as mechanical stress (e.g., grinding, scratching) and chemical and thermal stress. To improve wear resistance, the surfaces of metallic materials can be either coated or hardened. Wear-protective coating processes can extend the service life and functionality of a component. Even though coatings can help temporarily, the more efficient way of improving the wear resistance is to use materials that are up to the task of wear-intense works.
Typically, when casting aluminum bronze, there are three phases. In the alpha phase, the alloys are softened for better ductility. In the beta phase, the hardness, which is generally lost in the alpha phase, gets re-established while the strength of the alloy gets improved, too. Lastly, the intermetallic compound is the key to maintaining good microstructure and superior physical properties.
AMPCO METAL has revolutionized the intermetallic compound thanks to the unique MICROCAST® technology. To ensure the highest quality of the alloys produced, AMPCO METAL uses exclusive magnetic steering at the melting furnace, promoting excellent dispersion of the alloy chemical elements.
This ensures an unparalleled grain structure leading to the following benefits:
The MICROCAST® technology provides all AMPCO® alloys with outstanding properties, wear resistance being one. Hence, the excellent distribution of the alloying elements significantly increases the quality and durability of the alloy. Therefore, downtimes are far less frequently necessary, and general maintenance costs are kept low. Furthermore, for certain applications, the wear resistance of an alloy is a key property that can be crucial for safety.
For example, in the aerospace industry, alloys must match so-called AMS standards and have excellent wear properties. AMPCO® M4 is an alloy that has been developed exactly for this purpose. In recent years, it has been rapidly growing in use where higher mechanical properties at elevated temperatures together with corrosion-resistant properties are required. Thanks to the MICROCAST® technology, the alloy is highly suitable as an aircraft specification alloy for gear in retractable landing assemblies, engine spacer bearings, and other similar applications.
Want to learn more about wear resistance and why copper-based alloys are the right choice for your wear applications? Download our free technical paper «Wear resistant alloys – Guidelines and tips» now.