Microstructure, mechanical and wear property correlation of Al bronze alloys.

This article systematically investigates the influence of aluminum (Al) content (0–15 wt-%) on the microstructure, mechanical, and wear properties of copper (Cu) alloys processed via low-speed ball milling and vacuum hot pressing. The Cu–Al alloys exhibit a core–shell microstructure comprising α-Cu and various intermetallic phases (Cu9Al4, Cu3Al2, Cu4Al3, CuAl, CuAl2), which contributes to enhanced hardness (0.8 to 4.56 GPa) and compressive yield strength (174 to 653 MPa), with samples containing up to 10 wt-% Al showing high ductility without fracture up to 40% strain. The addition of Al significantly reduces the coefficient of friction (from 0.56 to 0.17) and wear rate (from 198 ×10⁻³ to 3.8 ×10⁻³ mm³ N⁻¹m⁻¹) during sliding against silicon carbide abrasives, primarily due to the formation of hard intermetallic phases that alter the wear mechanism from plowing to cutting. These findings highlight the advantage of incorporating 5–10 wt-% Al into Cu to achieve a favorable balance of mechanical strength, ductility, and wear resistance for potential industrial applications.