WEAR AND FRICTION STUDIES OF NICKEL–TUNGSTEN CARBIDE–GRAPHITE COMPOSITES

Abstract

Wear and friction studies have been carried out on pressed and sintered composites of 75–95% theoretical density. Carbonyl nickel and tungsten carbide, both with a particle size of 5 μm, and natural crystalline flake graphite with an approximate size of 1·1 μm were used. The wear specimens were run against a rotating (100 rev/min) steel cylinder. The wear-resistance correlates well with the ratio of the volume fraction of tungsten carbide to that of graphite (WC/graphite); there is a minimum in weight loss at a ratio near unity. This effect is explained in terms of powder coating with graphite during blending, which affects grain-boundary formation and grain growth during sintering; supporting metallographic evidence is given. The wear-debris particle size produced is related to wear; the wear rate increases with increasing particle size. Residual porosity in the materials reduces wear-resistance. The wear rate does not correlate with hardness or coefficient of friction; the results of wear tests in oil or water are very similar to those for tests run in air.     

The Role of Refractory Metals in the Development of Structural Intermetallic Compounds

Abstract

The role of refractory metals in high temperature applications is discussed in the context of structural intermetallic compounds. The use of refractory metals in the elemental form as well as its use as alloying additions is first discussed. A catalogue of refractory metal based structural interrnetallics is then itemised. Two examples, a niobium-based structural intermetallic compound and the role of the refractory metal W in improving the thermal stability of TiAI-based interrnetallics are then discussed.     

THE TECHNICAL CONTROL OF THE MANUFACTURE OF AIRCRAFT BRAKE FRICTION LININGS

Abstract

The processes used in the production of friction materials for aircraft brakes are outlined. The stringent quality-control procedures adopted at all stages of raw-material testing, mixing, pressing, and sintering are discussed and examples given that show the necessity for these procedures. The control system results in an end product that gives reproducible friction properties and wear rates and can fulfil the requirements of an emergency stop.     

Wear behaviour of Fe3 Al intermetallic particle reinforced PM based iron metal matrix composites

Abstract

The wear behaviour of unreinforced and reinforced PM based iron metal matrix composite, the latter containing 10 and 20 vol.-% nano sized Fe₃Al intermetallic particles, was studied as a function of sliding distance under two different loads and dry lubricated conditions. The intermetallic Fe₃Al nanoparticles were prepared by mechanical alloying and used as particle reinforcement with 10 and 20 vol.-% in the matrix. The processing of the composites included mixing and cold compaction followed by sintering at 1120°C. The influence of Fe₃Al additions on the dry sliding wear behaviour was studied at loads 20 and 40 N over sliding distances 2160, 3240, 4320 and 6480 m. The study showed that the composite exhibited a lower wear rate than that of the unreinforced matrix and the wear rate was influenced by the volume percentage of Fe₃Al particles. It is understood that iron aluminide reinforcement has a beneficial effect on the wear properties. Delamination and microcutting were the chief mechanisms of wear for the composites.     

Structural stability of super duplex stainless weld metals and its dependence on tungsten and copper

Three different superduplex stainless weld metals have been produced using manual metal arc welding under identical welding conditions. The concentration of the alloying elements tungsten and copper corresponded to the concentrations in commercial superduplex stainless steels (SDSS). Aging experiments in the temperature range 700 °C to 1110 °C showed that the formation of intermetallic phase was enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal and also dissolved at higher temperatures compared with tungsten-poor and tungsten-free weld metals. It could be inferred from time-temperature-transformation (TTT) and continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams produced in the present investigation that the critical cooling rate to avoid 1 wt pct of intermetallic phase was 2 times faster for tungsten-rich weld metal. Microanalysis in combination with thermodynamic calculations showed that tungsten was accommodated in χ phase, thereby decreasing the free energy. Experimental evidence supports the view that the formation of intermetallic phase is enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal, owing to easier nucleation of nonequilibrium χ phase compared with σ phase. The formation of secondary austenite (γ₂) during welding was modeled using the thermodynamic computer program Thermo-Calc. Satisfactory agreement between theory and practice was obtained. Thermo-Calc was capable of predicting observed lower concentrations of chromium and nitrogen in γ₂ compared with primary austenite. The volume fraction of γ₂ was found to be significantly higher in tungsten-rich and tungsten + copper containing weld metal. The results could be explained by a higher driving force for precipitation of γ₂ in these.     

POWDER-METAL-BASED FRICTION MATERIAL

Abstract

Sintered friction materials are complex metal-based composites that represent excellent examples of the principles of powder metallurgy. The production methods employed are compared with those of conventional powder metallurgy and the formulation of the materials is briefly described. Some typical applications, both wet and dry, are given and comparisons with the equivalent organic-based materials are made.     

THE INFLUENCE OF SILICON AND OTHER ELEMENTS IN CONTROLLING INTERPARTICLE FRICTION AND SINTERING OF BERYLLIUM POWDER

Abstract

The effect of small additions of activating elements such as silicon on the consolidation behaviour of beryllium powder has been investigated. Evidence is given that compacts of activated powder have more uniform high density than those produced from non-activated material. Studies carried out on prepared beryllium discs show that silicon modifies the micro-structure of the surface layer of beryllium oxide and, in consequence, affects its sliding behaviour and bonding characteristics.

From these results a model is proposed to account for the observations made on both sintered and hot-pressed beryllium which leads to the conclusion that, in addition to interparticle bonding, some measure of metal particle rearrangement is necessary for maximum densification. Activating elements may, in modifying the surface characteristics of the individual powder particles, assist in achieving an improved balance between particle sliding on the one hand and interparticle bonding on the other. In taking into account the bulk consolidation characteristics as well as the micromechanics of the process, the model also explains the observed influence of particle-size distribution on porosity in the compact.

The extent to which friction and sliding can influence compaction has been demonstrated by using a system of coloured Plasticine balls to simulate individual powder particles. Analysis of the behaviour of the Plasticine compacts substantiates the proposed model of the hot pressing of beryllium powder.     

Micropyretic Synthesis of Refractory Metal Intermetallic Compounds

Abstract

The processing of refractory metal intermetallic compounds by micropyretic synthesis has been discussed in this article. The advantages of this process have been elaborated with the synthesis of intermetallic compounds in view. Microstructures of the synthesized alloys have been examined in detail and compared with the conventionally produced microstructure. The effect of different process parameters on the process and on the synthesized microstructure has been described. Special emphasis is given on the synthesis of aluminides of Nb and Ti and NiTi. The mechanism of micropyretic synthesis of the aforementioned intermetallic compounds from elemental powders has been studied by arresting the synthesis process midway. This has resulted in preservation of the unsynthesized material on one side, the fully synthesized material on the other and intermediate stages of synthesis frozen in between. A detailed microstructural characterization has been carried out around the arrested synthesis front in order to establish the sequence of synthesis.     

Wear resistance of silicon carbide and nitride based ceramic materials

Various factors that affect the nature of wear in SiC and Si₃N4₂ based ceramics have been analyzed. It is shown that adhesion, mechanochemical and diffusion interactions in the contact zone and wear due to fatigue, thermal stresses and abrasion are the predominant factors. Ceramics based on SiC and Si₃N₄ are shown to have excellent wear resistance. Poreless silicon nitride materials that have good chemical stability, heat and crack resistance appear promising as ceramic—metal friction couples and for metal machining. Silicon carbide based poreless materials are efficient ceramic—ceramic friction couples and for service under severe hydro and gas abrasive media attack.Translated from Poroshkovaya Metallurgiya, No. 5, pp. 3–8, May, 1993.     

Investigation of iron powder friction on tungsten carbide tool wall

Abstract

In the powder shaping process, friction is often considered as one of the main limiting factors since it can be the cause of bad green density distributions as well as ejection defects. Therefore, knowledge of this is important for better controlling the compaction stage. This paper makes an attempt to bring out the different process parameters (density, normal stress, sliding velocity, temperature, and displacement) which influence the friction between a standard iron powder and a tool in tungsten carbide. With this view, a sliding piece device has been built and is described. Several tests have been performed; from the results emerge a decrease of the friction coefficient with increasing density or normal stress, conversely the velocity increases the friction while temperature has no significant role. In this work, particular attention is given to the amplitude of the displacement showing that it can highly affect friction and wear of green parts. An attempt is made at explaining the observed phenomena and results are correlated with an analytical expression.     

Mechanical properties and wear behaviour of PM aluminium composite reinforced with (Fe3Al) particles

Abstract

Mechanical properties and wear behaviour of an aluminium matrix composite reinforced with Fe₃Al intermetallics have been studied. A 2014 alloy manufactured through mechanical alloying was used as the matrix. Three different Fe₃Al intermetallics have been used as reinforcement, also manufactured through mechanical alloying. The difference between them was the different mechanical alloying times (5 and 20 h were used) and the possibility of carrying out a heat treatment at 1000°C (on the 20 h milled intermetallic) before admixing to the aluminium matrix. The processing of these composite materials included mixing and cold compacting (conventional powder metallurgy) followed by hot extrusion (without caning and degassing). The effect of a T6 heat treatment was also evaluated. The influence of intermetallic additions on the mechanical properties (hardness and tensile strength) and wear behaviour (pin on disk test) was established. All intermetallics showed a good link with the matrix, and high reactivity with it during the heat treatment, as the microstructural study supports.     

Effect of Ni addition and cryogenic hardening on the mechanical and tribological properties of self-lubricating steels produced by MIM

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses the relation between mechanical properties and tribological behaviour of self-lubricating steels produced by in-situ dissociation of SiC. Literature shows that an increase in the mechanical strength of these materials lowers their friction coefficient and wear rates. These works have studied steels with mechanical strength up to 800?MPa, but it is unclear if this trend continues with further increments of mechanical strengths. To tackle this question, self-lubricating steels with Ni and Mo were sintered, half of the samples with 8 wt-% Ni were treated cryogenically hardened. Results show that this trend does not escalate with mechanical strength, furthermore, when ductility is low, graphite reservoirs are not easily accessed, and lubrication is incomplete. Also, plastic deformation allows to better distribute the load of the counter body at the surface, which reduces the wear rates of the specimens and the counter bodies.     

PRODUCTION OF SOME METAL POWDERS BY HYDROMETALLURGICAL PROCESSES

Abstract

Nickel, cobalt, copper, and iron powders can be manufactured by hydrometallurgical processes. It is possible to use a wide variety of materials, including waste solutions, as the metal-containing feed. Estimates of the capital cost of reduction autoclaves and ancillary equipment show the advantage of increasing the scale of the operation from 2 to 50 tons of metal produced per day.

A major factor in the economics of producing the powders is the cost of purifying the solutions to give a liquor from which metal of the desired purity can be precipitated. Liquid–liquid extraction does not appear to have been used so far in a refinery in which metal is precipitated by hydrogen. The possible application of the technique is examined briefly.

Metal powders can be precipitated directly by reducing with hydrogen some organic phases produced by liquid–liquid extraction of aqueous solutions containing several metals. A suitable solvent mixture is acarboxylic acid with hydrocarbon diluent. The total pressure necessary for reduction is lower than that required when water is the solvent.

An important factor in considering the use of hydrometallurgical methods for producing metal powders is that in some cases the cost of obtaining metal is competitive with any other kind of process, and the fact that it is formed as powder is an added advantage. Also it is possible to make powders with physical characteristics that can be controlled withinnarrow limits over a very wide range.     

石墨／ZTA自润滑陶瓷基复合材料摩擦学特性的研究

采用热压工艺制备了石墨／ＺＴＡ自润滑陶瓷基复合材料,并研究了其在干摩擦条件下的摩擦磨损特性。结果表明,适量的石墨加入将显著降低陶瓷的摩擦系数,显示出良好的自润滑特性。石墨含量过高,不但加剧材料的磨损,且使材料的摩擦系数提高,复合材料的磨损过程中会产生剥落、犁沟。     

EFFECTS OF PROCESSING AND POWDER CHARACTERISTICS ON THE WEAR AND FRICTION PROPERTIES OF SOME NICKEL-BASE MATERIALS

Abstract

Pure nickel and nickel-based binary and ternary materials containing tungsten carbide and graphite dispersions have been studied. Three types of carbide powder and six types of graphite, different in size, shape, and structure (one in each group being nickel-coated) were studied to varying degrees. The smallest carbide powder (0·35 μm) possessed the best wear-resistance and the lowest coefficient of friction. The larger and coated types of graphite are somewhat superior; however, considerable amounts (～ 40 vol.-%) are needed to improve wear-resistance substantially and reduce the coefficient. Use of the coated type of carbide leads to rather high coefficients (0·58-0·76) under dry testing conditions. Several effects of the presence of a small amount of oxygen in the sintering atmosphere are discussed; a most interesting result is the marked improvement in the wear-resistance of pure nickel treated to produce a dispersion of nickel oxide. With some powders blending can lead to reduced wear-resistance, while with others increasing the blending time has no effect. Several of the findings confirm the interpretation of the results of the previous study regarding the dependence of wear on the ratio of the volume fraction of tungsten carbide to that of graphite, based on microstructural considerations. Wear-resistance cannot be correlated with high hardness.     

FRICTION COEFFICIENTS BETWEEN IRON POWDER COMPACTS AND DIE WALL DURING EJECTION USING VARIOUS ADMIXED ZINC STEARATE LUBRICANTS

Abstract

Laboratory compaction and ejection studies have been made using a reduced iron powder mixed with a number of zinc stearates having median particle sizes between 4 and 22μm. Comparable experiments were carried out on a fully instrumented production press, which was operated at compacting pressures between 300 and 500 MN/m² to produce compacts with true densities ranging from 5·90 to 6·70 g/cm³. Determination of ejection forces by the two methods enabled calculations of the coefficients of friction between compact and die wall to be made for mixtures containing 0·5–2·0 wt.% zinc stearate. These showed that the behaviour during compaction and ejection was comparable on both laboratory and production scales and gave very similar results. An interpretation of the results is given and values of coefficients of friction are presented which show that these are dependent on the type of zinc stearate used.     

FRICTION INDEX AND PRESSING CHARACTERISTICS OF SPHERICAL STAINLESS-STEEL POWDER AND OXIDIZED COPPER POWDER

Abstract

A procedure is described for accumulating data on the friction index and compression ratio of a copper powder at different stages of oxidation and of screened fractions of a stainless-steel powder. The dimensionless and nameless powder property, friction index divided by the compression ratio, was constant under certain conditions for a regular series of size fractions of stainless-steel powder. Calculations were made of the coefficient of compression and the limiting value of the degree of volume change by the method due to Kawakita.     

Phase and structural transformations in production of powders of intermetallic compounds

The mechanism and kinetics for the formation processes of powders of intermetallic compounds when the mixtures of oxides, metals, and calcium hydride are heated in the range t = 900–1200°C (the calcium hydride method) are investigated. It is established experimentally that the compounds are synthesized in two stages. At the first stage, metal oxides are reduced by the calcium melt (starting from ∼840°C); at the second stage, diffusion interactions of the components proceed. It is shown that, for the effective development of processes of alloy formation, metal components should be dissolved in liquid calcium or to form the eutectics between one another at a value of t not exceeding the working temperature of the process. As the latter increases, the reduction of oxides and diffusion interaction between the components are intensified and finished at t < 1200°C with the formation of homogeneous powders of intermetallic compounds. The possibility of forming a wide nomenclature of powders for intermetallic compounds of different applications is shown.     

WEAR OF HARD-METALS IN ROCK DRILLING: A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

The literature concerning the wear of tungsten carbide-cobalt alloys used as tool bits in rock drilling is surveyed. The possible mechanisms of rock breakage and of tool wear are briefly discussed. Wear takes place as a result of shock impact or impact-fatigue spalling, by abrasion-mainly from the quartz grains in the rock, and also by thermal fatigue. The mechanism that dominates in any given conditions depends on the method of drilling and on the strength and abrasiveness of the rock. For rotary-percussive drilling, impact-fatigue wear and abrasion operate simultaneously,though essentially independently.

Published data on the relations between the wear of WC-Co alloys in rock drilling and their structure and properties are critically discussed. It appears that the resistance to impact wear is a direct function of the bulk compressive or transverse rupture strength and is related to the WC grain size and the Co mean free path. It is directly proportional to the blow energy in percussion. The results indicate that abrasion of WC-Co alloys by quartz is more complicated than abrasion of ‘simpler’ metals by either hard or relatively soft abrasives. The wear in abrasion during running-in is quite high and becomes greater with larger WC grain size, while the steady-state wear rate becomes less. The abrasion-resistance increases with rise in hardness and with decrease in WC grain size and cobalt content, but not in a simple fashion. It is proposed that abrasive wear takes place both by microfracture at the point of abrasive/metal contact and by preferential removal of cobalt. The former factor dominates for hard, brittle alloys and when the abrasive grains have a high resistance to fracture. The latter dominates for softer, more cobalt-rich alloys and when the abrasives are friable.

The considerable need for further research on all aspects of the wear behaviour of these alloys is stressed.