RT Journal Article T1 Microstructure and wear properties of surface composite layer produced by friction stir processing (FSP) in AA2024-T351 aluminum alloy A1 Acuña Rey, Roberto A1 Cristóbal Ortega, María Julia A1 Abreu Fernández, Carmen María A1 Cabeza Simó, Marta María K1 3312.90 Materiales Metalúrgicos Avanzados AB Friction stir processing (FSP) is applied to create surface metal–matrix composites (SMMCs). This study aims to develop defect-free surface composites on AA2024 aluminum alloy with structural hardening (T351). It focuses on the effect of the number and direction of FSP passes on the particle distribution and microstructural modifications of the processed region, and their relationship with wear behavior of the composite layers. Results confirm that FSP can fabricate an SMMC with an acceptable homogeneous dispersion of particles. An electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique is used to investigate the evolution of the grain size through the different regions of the friction stir-processed (FSPed) samples, indicating a significant grain size reduction in the nugget zone because of dynamic recrystallization. The surface properties are studied by measuring hardness and resistance to sliding wear. Although SMMC hardness at the nugget is similar to the base material, it demonstrates improved wear resistance. Under the sliding conditions of this study, specific wear rate is reduced significantly (between 24 and 40 pct) with respect to the as-received aluminum alloy. Moreover, the worn tracks indicate the same wear mechanisms operating simultaneously in both materials. PB Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A SN 10735623 YR 2019 FD 2019-06-15 LK http://hdl.handle.net/11093/6111 UL http://hdl.handle.net/11093/6111 LA eng NO Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 50(6): 2860-2874 (2019) NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. MAT2014-55415-C3-2-R DS Investigo RD 20-sep-2024