The fretting wear of an austenitic stainless steel in air and in carbon dioxide at elevated temperatures

The development of an experimental test facility designed to investigate the fretting wear of metals in high temperature gaseous atmospheres is described briefly. Small amplitude torsional fretting was produced between normally loaded annular contact surfaces at temperatures up to 650 °C. The information presented concerns the effects produced on fretting a type 321 stainless steel in air and CO₂ environments. Use of electron optical and surface profiling techniques has allowed a qualitative asessment of the degree and characteristic features of the damage to specimens fretted at room temperature and 650 °C under selected oscillatory wear conditions. During simultaneous oxidation and fretting at 650 °C the initially formed protective oxide is disrupted exposing a chromium-depleted surface which subsequently oxidizes to a less protective Fe-Cr spinel. This combination of effects could have unfortunate consequences on the long term wear behaviour.     

TEM studies of the nitrided Ni-Ti surface layer

The structure of surface layer, obtained on the nearly equiatomic Ni‐Ti alloy after nitriding under glow discharge conditions at temperatures 700 or 800 °C, was investigated. The structural characterization of the intruded layer was performed on cross‐sectional thin foils by the use of the transmission and scanning electron microscopes. The obtained results show that the nitrided layers consist mainly of the nanocrystalline TiN phase and small amount of Ti₂N. Between the nitrided layers and β‐NiTi matrix an intermediate Ti₂Ni phase layer was observed.     

Effect of temperature on the fretting corrosion of tin plated copper alloy contacts

The effect of temperature on the fretting corrosion behaviour of tin plated copper alloy contacts in the temperature range of 25–185 °C, is addressed in this paper. The change in contact resistance with fretting cycles at various temperatures was determined. The contact zone after fretting corrosion test was analyzed using laser scanning microscope, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray spectrometry (EDX), to assess the surface profile, phase content, morphology and compositional changes across the interface. The study reveals that temperature has a greater influence on the extent of fretting corrosion of tin plated copper alloy contacts. The softening of tin is responsible for the extended region of low contact resistance observed at 85 °C. The increase in thickness and the resistance of Cu–Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) is responsible for the decrease in surface roughness and the drastic increase in the contact resistance at higher temperatures. The study suggests that the tin plated copper alloy contact system should be considered as copper alloy/IMC/Sn/SnO₂ instead tin plated copper alloy. During fretting corrosion test at elevated temperatures, once the top surface layers are worn out, the contact interface is transformed from tin versus tin-to-tin-intermetallic versus tin-intermetallic. The study concludes that tin plated copper alloy contacts are not suitable for high temperature applications.     

Tribochemistry of a Ti Alloy Under Fretting in Air: Evidence of Titanium Nitride Formation

The present investigation focuses on the tribological transformation occurring on a Ti alloy (Ti17) under fretting in air. Several fretting wear tests were performed on a large scale punch on plane configuration (two types of planes tested: bare Ti6242 and CuNiIn-coated Ti6242) at several temperatures from ambient up to 450 °C. In all the cases, two zones were identified on the scars: a lateral oxidized rim and a highly deformed region at centre. Metallurgical observations revealed similarities with Tribologically Transformed Structure (TTS), previously observed on various Ti alloys. In the framework of this article, careful analyses were conducted (EDX, DRX, XPS, HRTEM and EFTEM) in order to identify the nature and chemistry of this transformed layer. Results demonstrated the formation of a new phase, nanocrystalline, identified as TiO _x N _y . The high content of nitrogen found in the TTS indicated its ability to penetrate inside the contact and react with titanium. At 50 μm under the surface, a FIB preparation enabled the observation in TEM of N-rich lamellae (TiO _x N _y ) in the Ti (α) matrix. Two models were suggested to explain this tribochemical reaction under fretting.     

Microstructural and Tribological Characterization of Stainless Steel–Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Bimetal Composites Produced at Various Mold Burnout Temperatures

This study aims to identify the optimal burnout temperature (BT) of a plaster mold that was used in bimetal composite production. To achieve this goal, the mold was gradually heated up to 600, 650, 700, and 750?°C prior to melt infiltration casting. Molten A356 aluminum alloy was cast into mold at 730?°C for each casting process. Fifty percent porous 304 stainless steel (SS) preforms, obtained by assembling recycled SS shavings, were placed in a mold and infiltrated by A356 alloy until solidification was completed. The produced bimetal composites were subjected to a ball-on-disc tribometer with loads of 5, 10, and 15 N for 100 m sliding distance using an Al₂O₃ ball as a counterpart. θ-Fe₄Al₁₃ and η-Fe₂Al₅ phases were formed at A356 Al–304 SS interfaces for all samples. Wear rates increased with increasing load and decreased with increasing BT, except at 750?°C. At this temperature, interfacial phases with excessively increased layer thickness, hardness, and brittleness were fragmentized during the test, and these cracked particles decreased wear resistance by participating in the wear process. The most suitable BT of the mold was found to be 700?°C, considering the microstructure and wear results of bimetal composites.     

High temperature fretting wear behavior of WC-25Co coatings prepared by D-gun spraying on Ti-Al-Zr titanium alloy

Detonation gun (D-gun) spraying is one of the most promising spraying techniques for producing wear-resistance coatings. A thick layer (about 0.3 mm thickness) of WC-25Co with high hardness was covered on Ti-Al-Zr titanium alloy by D-gun spraying and the fretting wear behavior of WC-25Co coatings was studied experimentally on a high precision hydraulic fretting wear test rig. An experimental layout was designed to perform fretting wear tests at elevated temperatures from room temperature (25 °C) to 400 °C in ambient air. In the tests, a sphere (Si₃N₄ ceramic ball) was designed to rub against a plane (Ti-Al-Zr titanium alloy with or without WC-25Co coatings). It was found that the fretting running regimes of WC-25Co coatings were obviously different from those of Ti-Al-Zr titanium alloy. The mixed fretting regime disappeared in WC-25Co coatings, and the boundaries in the running condition fretting map (RCFM) showed hardly any change as temperature increased. The worn scars were examined using a laser confocal scanning microscope (LCSM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the coefficients of friction (COF) of WC-25Co coatings at elevated temperatures were nearly constant in the partial slip regime and very low in the steady state. The fretting damage of the coatings was very slight. In the slip regime, the WC-25Co coatings exhibited a good wear resistance, and the wear volume of the coatings obviously decreased with increasing tested temperature. The fretting wear mechanisms of WC-25Co coatings were delamination, abrasive wear and oxidation wear at elevated temperature. The oxide debris layer formed at higher temperature was denser and thicker on top of WC-25Co coatings, thus providing more surface protection against fretting wear, which played an important role in the low fretting wear of the coatings.     

Studies on wear behavior of nano-intermetallic reinforced Al-base amorphous/nanocrystalline matrix in situ composite

Resistance to wear is an important factor in design and selection of structural components in relative motion against a mating surface. The present work deals with studies on fretting wear behavior of in situ nano-Al₃Ti reinforced Al–Ti–Si amorphous/nanocrystalline matrix composite, processed by high pressure (8 GPa) sintering at room temperature, 350, 400 or 450 °C. The wear experiments were carried out in gross slip fretting regime to investigate the performance of this composite against Al₂O₃ at ambient temperature (22–25 °C) and humidity (50–55%). The highest resistance to fretting wear has been observed in the composites sintered at 400 °C. The fretting wear involves oxidation of Al₃Ti particles in the composite. A continuous, smooth and protective tribolayer is formed on the worn surface of the composite sintered at 400 °C, while fragmentation and spallation leads to a rougher surface and greater wear in the composite sintered at 450 °C.     

Corrosion and corrosion wear behaviour of plasma carburised Stellite 21 Co–Cr alloy

Abstract

Low temperature plasma surface alloying with carbon (i.e. plasma carburising) of Stellite 21 Co–Cr alloy was conducted at temperatures from 400 to 500°C for 15 h in a gas mixture of 98 vol.-%H₂ and 2 vol.-%CH₄. The surface treated layers were characterised by XRD, SEM and microhardness tests. The corrosion and corrosive wear behaviour of the plasma carburised Stellite 21 Co–Cr alloy were studied respectively using electrochemical tests and well designed reciprocating wear tests in 3·5% NaCl solution. The results show that low temperature (≤460°C) plasma carburising can improve the corrosion resistance of Stellite 21 alloy; the corrosive wear resistance of Stellite 21 can be enhanced by up to three times; and the best corrosive wear resistance is achieved at the highest treating temperature (500°C). The detailed studies on the wear tracks indicate that the corrosive wear process was dependent on the individual wear and corrosion, as well as the synergetic effect.     

Influence of plastic deformation and prolonged ageing time on microstructure of a Haynes 242 alloy

The material used in this study was a commercial HAYNES® alloy 242? with a nominal composition of Ni‐25% Mo‐8% Cr (in wt.%). In the standard heat treatment, the 242 alloy is annealed at a temperature between 1065 and 1095 °C and then water quenched. The ageing treatment is carried out at 650 °C for 24 h in order to develop the long‐range‐order strengthening. The alloy in the conventionally aged condition was additionally cold rolled to 50% reduction in thickness and subsequently subjected to prolonged ageing at 650 °C for 4000 h. The enhanced diffusion resulted in the decomposition of the Ni₂(Mo,Cr) metastable phase into the stable Ni₃Mo‐based phase. The presence of the new stable phase increased the yield and tensile strengths but deteriorated the ductility of the alloy at both room and 650 °C temperatures.     

Development of a variable temperature mechanical loading device for in situ neutron scattering measurements

Understanding the phase transformation and failure mechanism of NiTi shape memory alloys under variable environments of high and low temperatures is critical to the establishment of constitutive properties and to the realization of controllable design. Information regarding the correlation between the phase transformation and deformation can be obtained by in situ neutron scattering measurements. Therefore, a variable temperature mechanical loading device is designed, which can be used for mechanical loading and in situ neutron scattering measurements in a variable temperature environment. Specifically, the device can achieve precise temperature control with a temperature change from −55 °C to 200 °C in a protective atmosphere. The rated load in the axial direction is 6 kN, and the maximum displacement of the unilateral grip is larger than 30 mm. In situ neutron scattering measurements can be performed through neutron windows, and the strain can be measured by digital image correlation technology. Moreover, the force sensor is calibrated to improve test precision. Through an evaluation of temperature uncertainty, the temperature measurement performance is estimated. Tensile tests of the NiTi alloy at variable temperatures are carried out, and preliminary results are given. The four deformation stages of the NiTi alloy can be seen from the stressstrain curve, which corresponds to the existing results. This demonstrates that the designed variable temperature mechanical loading device can supply the testing demands. The device provides a new way to study the relationship between the phase transformation and mechanical properties of NiTi shape memory alloys at variable temperatures.

     

Oxidation and ignition behavior of a magnesium alloy containing rare earth elements

The oxidation and ignition behavior of Mg–8 wt.%Al alloy added with rare earth (RE) was investigated. When 0.1 wt.%RE was added, the ignition-proof effect was optimum and the ignition temperature of the alloy increased from 654°C to 823°C. The oxide scales and substrates of the alloy with 0.1 wt.%RE were characterized by scanning electronic microscope, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectrometer. The results show that a layer of tightly coherent oxidation film formed on the alloy surface under high temperature mainly consists of MgO, RE₂O₃, and Al₂O₃, which is about 2.5–3.5 µm thick. The oxidation kinetics curve of Mg–8 wt.%Al–0.1 wt.%RE follows the parabola rule at 400°C and 700°C and cubic rule at 600°C, which proves that the oxidation at these temperatures is controlled by diffusion obstruction so that the oxidation film can effectively restrain the alloy from further oxidation.     

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     

Effects of Aging Treatments on the High-Temperature Wear Behavior of 60Nitinol Alloy

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of heat treatments on the high-temperature wear behavior of 60Nitinol. The samples were hot-worked, aged at two temperatures of 400 and 700°C for 1 h and then water quenched. The microstructure of the alloys was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Sliding wear tests were performed at two temperatures of 25 and 200°C using three types of 60Nitinol disks: hot-worked, aged at 400°C, and aged at 700°C. All wear tests were performed at a speed of 0.3 m/s under a normal load of 60 N for a total sliding distance of 1,000 m using WC-Co pins sliding against 60Nitinol disks. The worn surfaces and microstructure of the subsurfaces were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Compression and hardness tests were also performed to characterize the mechanical properties of the alloys. The highest fracture strain and lowest hardness were obtained for the sample aged at 700°C that contained Ni₃Ti₂ precipitants. This sample also showed the maximum wear resistance at a wear testing temperature of 200°C. This was attributed to the formation of a more compact and stable tribological layer on the worn surface of the softer sample.     

Reciprocating Sliding Wear Behavior of 60NiTi As Compared to 440C Steel under Lubricated and Unlubricated Conditions

ABSTRACT

60NiTi is a hard (～60 HRC) and highly corrosion-resistant intermetallic with a relatively low elastic modulus (～100 GPa). In addition, this alloy exhibits a high compressive strength (～2,500 MPa) and a high elastic compressive strain of over 5%. These attributes make this alloy an attractive candidate to be employed in structural and mechanical component applications. However, sliding wear behavior of this intermetallic has not yet been studied in a systematic way. In this study, lubricated and unlubricated reciprocating sliding wear behavior of 60NiTi is compared to 440 C steel as a conventional bearing and wear-resistant alloy. Results of experiments carried out under different loads show that 60NiTi, despite having a higher hardness, exhibits a significantly inferior wear behavior under dry conditions in comparison to 440 C steel. These unexpected results indicate that 60NiTi does not follow conventional wear theories where the wear of materials has an inverse relationship to their hardness. On the other hand, under lubricated conditions with castor oil and a synthetic gear oil, 60NiTi exhibits low specific wear rates. These results exhibit the importance of proper lubrication in sliding mode applications where 60NiTi is exploited as a wear-resistant alloy.     

Several plasma diffusion processes for improving wear properties of Ti6Al4V alloy

Different kinds of diffusion processes, plasma nitriding, oxidizing and oxynitriding as of a combination of other two, have been applied to Ti6Al4V alloy to evaluate the effect of treatment times (1 and 4 h) and temperatures (650 and 750 °C) on wear properties of the alloy. It was observed that a hard modified layer was produced on the surface of the alloy after each diffusion process. While TiN and Ti₂N phases form in the modified layer with plasma nitriding, mainly TiO₂ phase forms after plasma oxidizing treatment. The wear tests performed at different normal loads showed that all treated samples, except for nitrided and oxidized at 650 °C for 1 h, exhibited higher wear resistance than untreated Ti6Al4V alloy. The plasma nitrided samples showed adhesive wear. On the other hand, while the plasma oxidizing samples displayed adhesive wear at lower loads, wear mechanism changed to abrasive wear as the load increased because the oxide film which covers the surface was broken during the sliding at higher loads.     

Development of coatings based on Fe-Cr-Ni-Al for resisting fretting wear in the temperature range 20–700 °C

Previous work by the present workers has indicated that sprayed molybdenum coatings on steel were beneficial in resisting fretting wear in the temperature range 20–300 °C. Beyond this temperature range the oxidation rate of molybdenum increased rapidly and limited its use. Such coatings were mixtures of metal and oxide and provided an elevated temperature “glaze” which appeared to lubricate the surface and to reduce significantly the level of fretting damage. In developing a coating for use over a wider temperature range, mixtures of elements were selected which would provide the possibility of surface glaze formation.Mixtures of Fe-Cr and Ni-Al alloys were arc sprayed onto a low alloy steel and tested under conditions of fretting at 20, 475 and 700 °C. Coatings containing iron and chromium developed a glaze oxide at 475 and 700 °C with resultant low wear. The nickel-based coating did not develop the glaze oxide at 475 °C but did so at 700 °C.     

Fretting wear behavior of superelastic nickel titanium shape memory alloy

The fretting behavior of superelastic nickel titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloy was studied at various displacement amplitudes on a serve-hydraulic dynamic test machine. The results showed that the superelastic properties of the material played a key role in the observed excellent fretting behavior of NiTi alloy. Due to the low phase transition stress (only 1/4 the value of its plastic yield stress) and the large recoverable phase transition strain (5%) of NiTi, the friction force of NiTi/GCr15 stainless steel pair is smaller than the value of GCr15/GCr15 pair and at the same time the Rabinowicz wear coefficient of NiTi plate is about 1/9 the value of GCr15 plate under the same fretting conditions. For NiTi/GCr15 pair, even NiTi has a much lower hardness than GCr15, the superelastic NiTi alloy exhibits superior fretting wear property than GCr15 steel. It was found that the weak ploughing was the main wear mechanism of NiTi alloy in the partial slip regime. While in the mixed regime and gross slip regime, the wear of NiTi was mainly caused by the abrasive wear of the GCr15 debris in the three-body wear mode.     

Sliding wear of silicon carbide modified by etching with chlorine at various temperatures

The effect of reaction temperature on the formation of a carbon layer on the surface of SiC has been investigated. Subsequently, the tribological properties of the formed carbon layers were studied. The experimental procedure involved exposing reaction-bonded SiC balls to a flowing gas mixture of 5% Cl₂, 2.5% H₂, and Ar at a high temperature of 800, 1000, or 1200 °C. A ball-on disk tribometer was used to investigate the friction and wear behavior of the treated specimens. While partially unreacted SiC phases were observed in the layer modified at 800 °C, rhombohedral graphite crystals were formed in the layer modified at 1200 °C. Compared to untreated SiC, the treated SiC materials were found to have relatively low friction coefficients and better wear resistance. Increasing the treatment temperature was found to improve the tribological performance of the resulting surface-modified SiC balls. A possible reason for this tribological improvement has been discussed based on the observed carbon phases.     

Transmission electron microscopy characterization of the erbium silicide formation process using a Pt/Er stack on a silicon-on-insulator substrate

Very thin erbium silicide layers have been used as source and drain contacts to n‐type Si in low Schottky barrier MOSFETs on silicon‐on‐insulator substrates. Erbium silicide is formed by a solid‐state reaction between the metal and silicon during annealing. The influence of annealing temperature (450 °C, 525 °C and 600 °C) on the formation of an erbium silicide layer in the Pt/Er/Si/SiO₂/Si structure was analysed by means of cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy. The Si grains/interlayer formed at the interface and the presence of Si grains within the Er‐related layer constitute proof that Si reacts with Er in the presence of a Pt top layer in the temperature range 450–600 °C. The process of silicide formation in the Pt/Er/Si structure differs from that in the Er/Si structure. At 600 °C, the Pt top layer vanishes and a (Pt–Er)Si_x system is formed.     

Tribological properties of self-lubricating CMC/Al2O3 pairs at high temperature in air

Three different self-lubricating ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) were fabricated by hot-pressed sintering. They are: Al₂O₃-50CaF₂, Al₂O₃-20Ag20CaF₂, and Al₂O₃-10Ag20CaF₂. Tribological tests were performed at temperatures ranging from 20°C to 800°C in air using a pin-on-disk tester. The experimental results show that the addition of the solid lubricants CaF₂ and Ag can evidently reduce the friction coefficients of alumina between 200°C and 650°C but not at room temperature and the wear rate of disks and pins at elevated temperature. The improvements in the friction and wear properties of CMC were due to the formation of a well-covered solid lubricating film. However, breakdown of the lubricating films at 800°C resulted in high friction and wear. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.