Characterization of wear scar surfaces using combined three-dimensional topographic analysis and contact resistance measurements

In this paper, a technique for the quantitative characterization of wear scar surfaces, using combined three-dimensional topographical analysis and contact resistance measurements, is introduced. Parameters for the characterization of wear surfaces, developed during sliding of pin-on-disk specimens in oxygen at high temperature, such as wear volume, roughness, average wear depth on the disk specimen, surface coverage by wear-protective oxide layers and their distributions over the wear surface, are presented and calculated. Such analyses provide more effective data for the analysis of wear processes and wear mechanisms.This method has been applied to the analysis of dry reciprocating sliding wear of a nickel-base alloy, N80A, at temperatures to 600°C. It was found that there was usually a difference between the wear rates of the pin and the disk. This difference increased with increase in temperature, the wear of the pin being much less than that of the disk at the higher temperatures. Although the total wear of both the pin and the disk decreased considerably with increase in temperature, the damage to the disk, judged by the wear depth of the scar, was much higher at elevated temperatures than at low temperatures. The roughnesses of the wear surfaces generally increased with increase in temperature. Less than 50% coverage of the scar surfaces by wear-protective oxide layers was sufficient for the severe-to-mild wear transition. However, the distribution of the wear-protective layers over the wear surfaces was non-uniform. Most of them were concentrated near the centre of the scar, along the sliding direction, under the present conditions. These features of the wear scar surfaces were mainly related to the adhesion and compaction of wear debris particles onto the wear surfaces, leading to development of the wear-protective layers at the various temperatures.     

The role of triboparticulates in dry sliding wear

In this paper, wear processes and mechanisms for wear transitions with sliding time and temperature during sliding of a nickel-based alloy, N80A, in oxygen at temperatures to 250°C are discussed. Transitions in wear from high rates to low rates with sliding time were always observed at all the temperatures investigated. The transitions in wear were usually accompanied by transitions in contact resistance between the rubbing surfaces from nearly zero to positive high values. It was found that wear debris particles were heavily involved in the wear processes. The transitions in wear and contact resistance with sliding time mainly resulted from the development of wear-protective layers following the compaction of wear debris particles on the rubbing surfaces. The adhesion of triboparticulates to each other and to the rubbing surfaces played an important role in the rapid decrease in wear rate with sliding time and with increase in temperature. Processes involved in the development of the wear-protective particle layers and mechanisms for the wear transitions have been described on the basis of experimental observations. The importance of triboparticulates in wear and its implications for wear protection are discussed.     

Studies of high temperature sliding wear of metallic dissimilar interfaces II: Incoloy MA956 versus Stellite 6

The development of wear surfaces formed during limited debris retention sliding wear of Incoloy MA956 against Stellite 6 between room temperature and 750 °C, and sliding speeds of 0.314 and 0.905 m s⁻¹ (7 N applied load, 4522 m sliding distance) were investigated. At 0.314 m s⁻¹, mild oxidational wear was observed at all temperatures, due to oxidation of Stellite 6-sourced debris and transfer to the Incoloy MA956; this debris separated the Incoloy MA956 and Stellite 6 wear surfaces. Between room temperature and 450 °C, the debris mainly took the form of loose particles with limited compaction, whilst between 510 °C and 750 °C the debris were compacted and sintered together to form a Co–Cr-based, wear protective ‘glaze’ layer. The behaviour was identical to that previously observed on sliding Nimonic 80A versus Stellite 6 at 0.314 m s⁻¹.At 0.905 m s⁻¹, mild oxidational wear was only observed at room temperature and 270 °C and dominated by Incoloy MA956-sourced debris. At 390 and 450 °C, the absence of oxide debris allowed ‘metal-to-metal’ contact and resulted in intermediate temperature severe wear; losses in the form of ejected metallic debris were almost entirely Incoloy MA956-sourced. This severe wear regime was also observed from 510 up to 630 °C, but increasingly restricted to the early stages of wear by development of a wear protective Incoloy MA956-sourced ‘glaze’ layer. This ‘glaze’ layer formed so rapidly at 690 °C and 750 °C, that severe wear was all but eliminated and wear levels were kept low.The behaviour observed for Incoloy MA956 versus Stellite 6 at 0.905 m s⁻¹ contrasts sharply with that previously observed for Nimonic 80A versus Stellite 6, in that the Incoloy MA956-sourced high Fe–Cr debris formed a protective oxide ‘glaze’, whilst the Nimonic 80A-sourced Ni and Cr oxides formed an abrasive oxide that at high sliding speeds assisted wear. The data indicates that the tendency of oxide to form a ‘glaze’ is readily influenced by the chemistry of the oxides generated.     

The effects of load and substrate hardness on the development and maintenance of wear-protective layers during sliding at elevated temperatures

Transitions to low wear rates often occur during sliding between contacting metal surfaces, due to the establishment of high-resistance load-bearing layers. Such layers are developed from compaction of wear debris particles, with adhesion between the particles being an important factor in determining whether the layers are maintained, leading to wear protection, or break down, leading to abrasive wear. They are formed more easily and retained more effectively at higher temperatures, due to increased sintering and adhesion between the debris particles and to enhanced oxidation of these particles. This paper presents the results of a study of the reciprocating sliding wear and friction of dissimilar combinations of pin and disc steel specimens (high-speed steel and high-chrome steel pins and carbon steel discs) at temperatures of 500–600°C, with emphasis on the influence of load and substrate hardness on the development and maintenance of such wear-protective particulate layers. Complex relationships occur between the effects of increased load in producing larger debris particles, in decreasing the critical particle size for establishing the layers and in decreasing the separation between the sliding surfaces, and the effects of hardness of the substrates on the sizes and amounts of wear particles and on the topographies of the wear scars. The relationships are complicated further by oxidation and sintering of debris particles, leading to development of oxide or oxide-containing ‘glaze’ surfaces, and subsequent breakdown of the layers during sliding.     

Influence of temperature of sub-zero treatments on the wear behaviour of die steel

This study examines the influence of temperature of sub-zero treatment on the wear behaviour of AISI D2 steel. A series of dry sliding wear studies have been made under constant normal load at varying sliding velocities. Emphasis has been laid to understand the operative modes and mechanisms of wear by the estimation of specific wear rates and detailed characterizations of the worn surfaces, wear debris and subsurfaces with the help of scanning electron microscope (SEM) examinations coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalyses. The obtained results unambiguously infer that lower the temperature of sub-zero treatment higher is the improvement in wear resistance. Wear resistance can increase by 1.5–125 times depending on sliding velocity while hardness increases only by 4.2% at the lowest temperature of sub-zero treatment (77 K) compared to the conventionally treated specimens. These results corroborate well with the reduction in retained austenite content associated with simultaneous increase in the amount of secondary carbide particles with lowering of sub-zero treatment temperature. The operative modes and mechanisms of wear are identified as either mild oxidative or severe delaminative, which depends on the temperature of sub-zero treatment and the sliding velocity of the wear test.     

Effects of supply of fine oxide particles onto rubbing steel surfaces on severe–mild wear transition and oxide film formation

This study is the first to show a quantitative condition required for the establishment of severe–mild wear transition with sliding distance, by studying the effects of supply of Fe₂O₃ particles onto rubbing steel surfaces on the transition and oxide film formation process. The supply of fine Fe₂O₃ particles was found to accelerate the wear transition, and the sliding distance at which the transition occurs was found to increase with particle diameter and applied load. Oxide films are produced on the rubbing surfaces by sintering of the supplied Fe₂O₃ oxide particles. At the severe–mild wear transition, the relative area of oxide films is the same for all diameters of supplied Fe₂O₃ particles. This finding suggests that the transition occurs when the relative area of oxide films reaches a specific value, which is proportional to the area of real contact.     

Reciprocating sliding wear of 9% Cr steel in carbon dioxide at elevated temperatures

Experiments were conducted on the initial stages of reciprocating sliding wear of a 9% chromium steel in an environment of carbon dioxide at temperatures in the range 200 to 550°C. At ambient temperatures of 290°C and above, an initial severe wear mode was followed by a transition to mild oxidational wear. At any given ambient temperature above 290°C, the distance of sliding required to reach such a transition was found to depend on load and mean sliding speed, although the dependency on speed was not simple. When a transition occurred, most of the surfaces were covered with a stable oxide film which consisted of an agglomerate layer of wear debris being mainly of oxide at the surface and mainly at the metal boundary. This film was supported by a work hardened layer extending for about 30 μm into the bulk of the metal. A surface model is proposed to explain the mechanism of formation of the supportive oxide layer; predictions of volume of material removed and final oxide coverage at the transition are in close agreement with experimental values     

Effects of temperature and sliding distance on the wear behavior of austenitic Fe-Cr-C-Si hardfacing alloy

The effects of temperature and sliding distance on the metal-to-metal wear behavior of austenitic Fe-20Cr-1.7C-1Si hardfacing alloy were investigated in air in the temperature range from 25 to 450 °C. The applied contact stress was 55 MPa and the maximum sliding distance was 18 m. In the temperature range from 25 to 200 °C, the weight loss increased linearly with increasing sliding distance. The weight loss increased parabolically with increasing sliding distance up to 18 m at 300 °C, but at 450 °C, the weight loss drastically increased from the beginning of the wear test and became almost saturated above a sliding distance of 3.6 m. The initial friction coefficient was not changed with temperature up to 300 °C. However, at 450 °C, the initial friction coefficient increased abruptly. It was thought to be due to the increasing tendency of adhesive bonding to occur between the two self-mating specimens. At temperatures below 200 °C, the steady state friction coefficient did not change significantly. Above 300 °C, the steady state friction coefficient decreased due to the oxide layers that formed on the worn surfaces during wear.     

Influence of Combined Addition of Boron and Strontium on High-Temperature Wear Behavior of A356 Alloy

In the present study, the effect of the combined addition of boron (B) and strontium (Sr) on the high-temperature dry sliding wear behavior of A356 alloy has been investigated using a pin-on-disc wear testing machine attached with a furnace. During wear studies, the effect of alloy composition, normal pressure, sliding speed, and sliding distance on A356 alloy at four temperatures, namely, room temperature and 100, 200, and 300°C, have been investigated. Further, the cast alloys and worn surfaces of A356 alloy with and without B and Sr were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) microanalysis. Results indicate that the combined addition of B and Sr to A356 alloy has led to improvements in wear properties. This is due to a change in microstructure, improvement in mechanical properties, and the formation of an oxide layer between the mating surfaces during the sliding wear process.     

The influence of reciprocating sliding wear on the oxidation behaviour of Fe-12Cr steel

Medium-chromium ferritic alloys are used extensively in the boiler and core sections of advanced gas cooled reactors (AGRs). It was discovered in the early 1970s, that under certain conditions these alloys could undergo the phenomenon known as breakaway oxidation. In this type of oxidation the rate-limiting step is located at the oxide/metal interface rather than the more usual gas/oxide interface and results in linear oxidation kinetics. It has been shown that repeated removal of oxide layers can expose chromium-depleted metal to the oxidizing gas and promote nucleation of breakaway oxidation. The question has been addressed as to whether high temperature sliding wear processes can also disrupt the surface so as to make the material potentially susceptible to breakaway oxidation.High temperature reciprocating wear tests of Fe-12Cr material in both low and high pressure reactor gas have been caried out. As expected, compact adhesive load-bearing oxide and mixed oxide/metal beds form in wear regions. These contacting features wear at very low rates of less than 10⁻¹⁶m³ (Nm)⁻¹. It has also been demonstrated that preformed oxides wear at sufficiently low rates at high temperature as to preclude the possibility of exposure of the underlying metal to the reactor gas. It is thus unlikely that sliding wear processes will accelerate the tendency for initiation of breakaway oxidation.     

Relation Between Tribolayers and Wear Behavior During Dry Sliding of Fe-Al Hot-Dipped Coating

An Fe-Al coating consisting of FeAl and Fe₃Al was prepared on AISI 1045 steel by hot-dip aluminizing and subsequent high-temperature diffusion. Dry sliding wear tests were performed for Fe-Al coating against AISI 52100 steel under various sliding speeds and loads. During sliding, thin tribolayers formed on the worn surfaces of the Fe-Al coating. After wear, they were observed to be a nonoxidized mechanically mixed layer (MML) at 0.5 m/s, an oxide-containing MML at 0.75–2.68 m/s, and an in situ oxide layer at 4 m/s. The tribolayers presented a close relation with the wear behavior. Because of their different ingredients, structures, and types, the tribolayers resulted in significant changes in the wear behavior. At 0.75–2.68 m/s (except for 2.68 m/s, 40 N), the compact tribooxide layers exerted a protective function for Fe-Al coating to reduce the wear rate. However, for the tribolayers containing no or trace tribooxides at 0.5 m/s or the unstable ones formed at 2.68 m/s, 40 N and 4 m/s, no protection was presented. In these cases, the Fe-Al coating would be partly or totally ground off, thus presenting poor wear resistance at high wear rates.     

Friction,Wear, and Scuffing Characteristics of Marine Engine Lubricants with Nanodiamond Particles

Many kinds of additives are generally added to engine lubricants to improve performance. These chemical additives are harmful to both humans and the environment. For this reason, the research trend in the lubricant industry is to reduce the use of chemical additives in engine oils. Carbon materials like nanodiamonds are candidates among many physical additives. Nanodiamond particles are round, very hard, chemically stable, and highly heat conductible. In this research, nanodiamond particles were uniformly dispersed in marine engine lubricants. A matrix synthesis method was used for dispersion with various concentrations. Friction and wear tests were performed to measure the friction and wear amounts, and scuffing tests were performed. The friction coefficients were decreased with the addition of nanodiamond particles. Due to their octagonal and almost spherical shape, the particles could act as rolling contact elements between two lubricated sliding surfaces. In addition, it was found that there was a proper concentration of nanodiamond to minimize the wear amounts, which was 0.3 wt%. From the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis many agglomerated particles were found on the sliding surfaces with a high concentration of particles over 0.3%. The excessive amount of nanodiamonds acted as abrasive debris and ploughed the contact surfaces. Finally, as the concentration of nanodiamonds increased, the scuffing life increased due to a reduction in friction, and the rate of temperature increase was reduced due to the high heat conductivity of nanodiamonds.     

Effect of temperature on friction and wear of prehardened tool steel during sliding against 22MnB5 steel

Abstract

Mechanical components in tribological systems exposed to elevated temperatures are gaining increased attention since more and more systems are designed to operate under extreme conditions. In hot metal forming, the effect of temperature on friction and wear is especially important since it is directly related to process economy (tool wear) and quality of the produced parts (friction between tool and workpiece). This study is therefore focused on fundamental understanding pertaining to the tribological characteristics of prehardened hot work tool steel during sliding against 22MnB5 boron steel. The tribological tests were carried out using a high temperature reciprocating sliding friction and wear tester under a normal load of 31 N (corresponding to a contact pressure of 10 MPa), a sliding speed of 0·2 m s^?1 and temperatures ranging from 40°C to 800°C. It was found that friction coefficient and specific wear rate decreased at elevated temperature because of formation of compacted wear debris layers on the surfaces.     

High temperature tribology of ceramics

The friction and wear behaviour of self-mated couples of MgO---ZrO₂, Al₂O₃ and two types of SiSiC were studied under dry sliding conditions in a special pin-on-disc high temperature tribometer. The temperature was varied between 25 and 1000°C, and the sliding speed from 0.03 m s⁻¹ to 3 m s⁻¹. The morphology of the worn surfaces was studied by means of SEM, and their phase distribution by X-ray diffraction and TEM analyses. The results show that the wear coefficients of all couples mostly increase with increasing temperature and sliding velocity. The wear of MgO---ZrO₂ is influenced by tribo-induced phase transformations while α-Al₂O₃ retains its original structure for all test conditions. For SiSiC delamination and fatigue of the interface Si/ß-SiC predominate. At higher temperatures and sliding velocities tribo-oxidation is effective. The friction coefficients lie between 0.5 and 1.0 under steady-state conditions but for short test durations lower values can occur. The couple SiSiC/SiSiC has low friction coefficients at low sliding velocities and temperatures, even if the steady-state region is reached.     

Sliding wear behaviour of some Fe-, Co- and Ni-based metallic glasses during rubbing against bearing steel

The sliding wear behaviour of several compositions of Fe-, Co- and Ni-based metallic glasses have been studied while rubbing against AISI 52100 bearing steel under reciprocating-sliding conditions. The wear resistances of Fe-based metallic glasses and Ni-based metallic glass (MBF 50) have been found to be superior to that of the mating AISI 52100 bearing steel. The examination of worn surfaces indicates that the superior wear resistance of metallic glasses is not merely owing to their high hardness but it is determined by phenomena of material transfer vis-à-vis the mating material and the formation of protective oxide layers on the metallic-glass surface during sliding. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The transition from severe to mild sliding wear for Fe-12%Cr-base alloys at low temperatures

A study of the friction and wear behaviour of two commercial Fe-12%Cr-base alloys Jethete M152 and Rex 535 during like-on-like reciprocating sliding in air at ambient temperatures up to 200 °C has been carried out. As expected from practical experience, the overall wear resistance of Rex 535 is superior to that of Jethete M152. In all cases, the wear processes are characterized by an initial period of primary severe wear with associated high, but irregular, coefficients of friction, followed by a transition to a steady state period of secondary mild wear with associated reduced and steady friction values. The time of this transition is load independent and decreases with increasing ambient temperature but occurs more rapidly for Rex 535 than for Jethete M152, which accounts entirely for the former's superior overall wear performance. The wear rate during sliding in the primary severe wear period is independent of alloy, of applied load and, possibly, of temperature while the secondary wear rate is independent of alloy but is dependent on temperature, although not in a regular manner. The transition from severe to mild wear can be correlated with the generation and comminution of metal wear debris particles during the severe wear period until the particles are small enough for substantial oxidation of the exposed surfaces to take place at the ambient temperature of sliding. The subsequent temperature dependence of the secondary mild wear rate is probably related to changes in the adhesive properties of this tribogenerated wear debris. The faster transition from severe to mild wear for Rex 535 compared with that for Jethete M152 is associated with easier comminution of the metal wear particles of Rex 535 owing to their lower ductility. Hence the significance of oxidation of the debris surfaces becomes important at an earlier stage in the sliding process.     

莫来石基复合陶瓷高温摩擦表面粘附机理的研究

研究莫来石基复合陶瓷（ZTM、ZTM/Al）与氧化钇稳定氧化锆（TZP）陶瓷构成的摩擦副,在干摩滑动条件下,ZTM、ZTM/Al陶瓷的磨损率随环境温度的升高而逐渐降低,其摩擦表面可生成粘附保护层并出现负磨损现象。ZTM、ZTM/Al陶瓷高温摩擦表面产生粘附保护层的主要机理是对偶件TZP陶瓷中的Zr原子或磨屑向其摩擦表面扩散和吸附的结果。详细分析这种Zr原子表面扩散转移地主要影响因素,以及磨屑在摩擦表面的物理吸附和化学吸附的机理,得出了“ZTM、ZTM/Al摩擦表面粘附层的形成,其实质是由‘被动受磨’向‘主动抗磨’的机制转变”的结论,并展望了该抗磨机理的工程应用前景。     

High resolution observations of friction-induced oxide and its interaction with the worn surface

A detailed transmission electron microscopy study of oxide and oxygen-containing phase formation during the sliding wear of metals, composites and coatings is provided. A wide range of different materials types are reported in order to compare and contrast their oxidational wear behaviour: a low carbon stainless steel, a H21 tool steel containing 7%TiC particles, a 17%Cr white iron, an Al–Si/30%SiC composite, an Al–alloy (6092)–15%Ni₃Al composite and finally a 3rd generation TiAlN/CrN ‘superhard’ multilayer coating. For the ferrous alloys, nanoscale oxides and oxygen-containing phases were formed that exhibited excellent adhesion to the substrate. In all cases, an increase in oxide coverage of the surface was associated with a decrease in Lancaster wear coefficient. The oxide at the surface of the 316L and H21+7%TiC was found to deform with the substrate, forming a mechanically mixed layer that enhanced surface wear resistance. Evidence of oxidational wear is presented for the wear of the Al–Si–30%SiC composite, but this did not give a beneficial effect in wear, a result of the brittle nature of the oxide that resulted in detachment of fine (150nm) thick fragments. The worn surface of the Al–alloy (6092)–15%Ni₃Al and TiAlN/CrN coating was characterized by reaction with the counterface and subsequent oxidation, the product of which enhanced wear resistance. The observations are related to the classical theory of oxidational wear.     

Mild wear of a low alloy steel at temperatures up to 500°C

Wear behaviour of 52100 low alloy steel has been studied on a pin on disc wear machine at disc temperatures ranging from room temperature to 500°C. Transitions occur in the wear rate versus load curves at certain critical loads, the magnitude of which increase with temperature. These transitions were found to be associated with change in surface oxide, lower wear rates being recorded when the predominant oxide was the spinel Fe₃O₄ for all temperatures. At disc temperatures above 300°C out of contact oxidation appears to be the most important wear limiting factor. A surface model was developed enabling contact temperature, numbers and size of contacts and critical oxide film thickness to be deduced. Remarkable agreement was found between oxide thicknesses estimated from this model and measured values using a scanning electron microscope     

Tribological Characterisation of Graphene Oxide as Lubricant Additive on Hypereutectic Al-25Si/Steel Tribopair

The performance of a lubricant greatly depends on the additives it involves. However, recently used additives produce severe pollution when they are burned and exhausted. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new generation of green additives. Graphene oxide (GO) is considered to be environmentally friendly. The scope of this study is to explore the fundamental tribological behavior of graphene, the first existing 2D material, and evaluate its performance as a lubricant additive. The friction and wear behavior of 0.5 wt% concentrations of GO particles in ethanol and SAE20W50 engine oil on a hypereutectic Al-25Si alloy disc against steel ball was studied at 5 N load. GO as an additive reduced the wear coefficient by 60–80% with 30 Hz frequency for 120 m sliding distance. The minimum value of the coefficient of friction (0.057) was found with SAE20W50 + 0.5 wt% GO. A possible explanation for these results is that the graphene layers act as a 2D nanomaterial and form a conformal protective film on the sliding contact interfaces and easily shear off due to weak Van der Waal's forces and drastically reduce the wear. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Raman spectroscopy were used for characterization of GO and wear scars.