Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Making an Aluminum Wear Strip

I have an application where I require a sacrificial strip of metal to rub against road (asphalt & concrete) and dirt road type surfaces over a very short distance (4 inches or so). This is not a continuous cycle (maybe 40 or 50 times in a 24 hour period max. I am bonding this material to an aluminum carrier bed. My first choice was SS bar but the cost is becoming a big factor with SS. What grades of aluminum or coatings for 6061-T6 equivalent aluminum can I use as a possible alternative. Is there a 7000 or 8000 series aluminum with good wear properties or will anodizing give a better wear life cycle. The strip will be replaceable but I want to avoid having the customer do that too often. Please advise.

Sanjeev Kuriakose
Senior Project Engineer - Greencastle, Pennsylvania, USA
2004

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There are wear conditions against which no coating is equivalent to using a harder metal, and I don't really know whether this is one of those cases or not. But it should be quite practical to hardcoat anodize the 6061 to a thickness of say .001" . The coating will be very hard and abrasion resistant. Naturally there are many other possible coatings like chrome plating, electroless nickel, or titanium nitride.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003