Abstract: AlN/Zr-Cu composites were prepared with raw materials of Cu powder, Zr powder and AlN powder by the spark plasma sintering method. The effects of AlN mass fraction (1%-20%) on the micromorphology, mechanical properties, friction and wear property of the composite were studied, and the wear mechanism was analyzed. The results show that fine AlN particles dispersively distributed in the copper alloy matrix. With the AlN mass fractions of 1% to 15%, the composites were relatively dense while the microstructure was loose with the AlN mass fraction of 20%. With the increase of AlN content, the micro-hardness and compressive strength of the composites presented a trend of first increasing then decreasing, while the friction coefficient and abrasion loss first decreased then increased. The wear mechanism changed in the order of adhesive wear, abrasive wear and spalling wear.