Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Tribological Behavior of Friction Stir Lap-Welded Joints Between SiC/Al-Fe-V-Si Composites and an Al-Si Alloy.

Aluminum matrix composites provide an ideal solution for lightweight brake disks, but conventional casting processes are prone to crack initiation due to inhomogeneous reinforcement dispersion, gas porosity, and inadequate toughness. To break the conventional trade-off between high wear resistance and low toughness of brake disks, this study fabricated a bimetallic structure of SiC/Al-Fe-V-Si aluminum matrix composite and cast ZL101 alloy using friction stir lap welding (FSLW). Then, the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties, and tribological behavior of the FSLW joints were studied by XRD, SEM, TEM, tensile testing, and tribological tests.