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The mild–severe wear transition of aluminum alloys is considered evidence that the wear changes from a stable state to an unstable state, which is of great importance in engineering applications. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the mild–severe wear transition of the 2195 Al–Li alloy for different loads and to elucidate the causes behind it. To this end, dry sliding tribometric tests were carried out by varying the normal load from 2 to 40 N at room temperature. The results show that the change in wear rate can be divided into three distinct stages, including weak growth at low load (2–4 N), rapidly increased growth at medium load (8–16 N), and gradually increased growth at high load (32–40 N). The transition from mild to severe wear is observed at loads ranging from 4 to 8 N. Characterization of the worn surface of the Al–Li alloy via scanning electron microscopy shows that abrasion and oxidation are the dominant wear phenomena in the mild wear regime. On the other hand, delamination, adhesion, and severe plastic deformation become dominant in the severe wear regime. The reason for the occurrence of the transition is the tribo-induced plastic deformation of the substrate.

The tribological properties of Al-Li alloys impact the reliability of components used in different industrial sectors. In this research, the effect of normal load on friction and wear properties of the extruded spray-formed 2195-T6 Al-Li alloy is investigated by using a pin-on-disk tester. Through the microstructure of the friction subsurface, it is evaluated that the friction coefficient of 2195 alloy decreases from 0.408 to 0.306 by increasing load (25 N to 150 N), while the wear rate increases exponentially. It is also analyzed that a mild-severe wear transition occurs between 100 N and 125 N and the main wear mechanism gradually shifts from abrasive wear and oxidative wear to delamination wear (25 N ∼ 100 N), and finally attains the state of severe plastic deformation (125 N ∼ 150 N). Under the action of normal load and friction shearing force, the deformation layer in the subsurface increases from 3 μ m to 43 μ m with increasing load, and the accumulation of strain leads to cracks and holes.