Tribological properties of plasma sprayed and laser remelted 75/25 Cr3C2/NiCr coatings

A CO₂ laser was used to fuse based Ni–Cr Cr₃C₂ coatings for the purpose of homogenizing their microstructures and eliminating their porosity. Tests of layer control and wear resistance were carried out on the samples treated with the laser. The results have shown that laser remelting improves the microstructure of the coatings, increases the coating microhardness, and improves coating–substrate adherence. The dry sliding wear behaviour was characterized by the existence of two periods. During the first period the square of the wear volume is proportional to the sliding distance. During the second, the wear volume is proportional to the sliding distance.     

Feasibility study of plasma sprayed Al2O3 coatings as diffusion barrier on CFC components

Carbon fibre reinforced carbon (CFC) materials are increasingly applied as sample carriers in modern furnaces. Only their tendency to react with different metals at high temperatures by C-diffusion is a disadvantage, which can be solved by application of diffusion barriers. Within this study the feasibility of plasma sprayed Al₂O₃ coatings as diffusion barrier was studied. Al₂O₃ coatings were prepared by air plasma spraying (APS). The coatings were investigated in terms of their microstructure, bonding to CFC substrates and thermal stability. The results showed that Al₂O₃ could be well deposited onto CFC substrates. The coatings had a good bonding and thermal shock behavior at 1060°C. At higher temperature of 1270°C, crack network formed within the coating, showing that the plasma sprayed Al₂O₃ coatings are limited regarding to their application temperatures as diffusion barrier on CFC components.     

Sliding wear characteristics of plasma-sprayed Al2O3 and Cr2O3 coatings against copper alloy under severe conditions

Al₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ coatings were deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying and their tribological properties dry sliding against copper alloy were evaluated using a block-on-ring configuration at room temperature. It was found that the wear resistance of Al₂O₃ coating was superior to that of the Cr₂O₃ coating under the conditions used in the present study. This mainly attributed to its better thermal conductivity of Al₂O₃ coating, which was considered to effectively facilitate the dissipation of tribological heat and alleviate the reduction of hardness due to the accumulated tribological heat. As for the Al₂O₃ coating, the wear mechanism was plastic deformation along with some micro-abrasion and fatigue-induced brittle fracture, while the failure of Cr₂O₃ coating was predominantly the crack propagation-induced detachment of transferred films and splats spallation.     

Wear properties of two-phase Al2O3/ZrO2 (Y2O3) ceramics at temperatures from 296 to 1073 K

Reciprocating sliding friction experiments were conducted with various two-phase, directionally solidified Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ (Y₂O₃) pins sliding on B₄C flats in air at temperatures of 296, 873, and 1073 K under dry sliding conditions. Results indicate that all the Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ (Y₂O₃) ceramics, from highly Al₂O₃-rich to ZrO₂-rich, exceed the main wear criterion requirement of 10⁻⁶ mm³ N⁻¹ m⁻¹ or lower for effective wear-resistant applications. Particularly, the eutectics and Al₂O₃-rich ceramics showed superior wear properties. The composition and microstructure of Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ (Y₂O₃) ceramics played a dominant role in controlling the wear and friction properties. The controlling mechanism of the ceramic wear, friction, and hardness was an intrinsic effect involving the resistance to shear fracture of heterophase bonding and cohesive bonding and the interlocking microstructures at different scales in the ceramics.     

Comparison of wear behaviour of plasma-sprayed Al2O3 coatings with and without laser treatment

This paper studies experimentally the effects of CO₂ laser-treatment on the wear behaviour of plasma-sprayed Al₂O₃ coatings, in linear contact sliding (dry, abrasive and lubricated) against SAE 4620 steel. Tests were carried out using a block-on-ring friction and wear tester, under different loads at different speeds. The wear mechanism and the changes in adherence, porosity and microstructure by laser treatment were also investigated. Results show a better wear behaviour for both laser-treated ceramic coating and its paired steel under dry and abrasive conditions, compared with the case without laser treatment. The lubricated wear behaviour of the laser-treated ceramic coating, however, is not improved. The changes in microhardness, porosity and adherence caused by the laser treatment are responsible for the change in wear behaviour of the ceramic coating.     

Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline ZrO2-7%Y2O3 powders for thermal barrier coatings by high-energy ball milling

High-energy ball milling is an effective method to produce nanocrystalline oxides. In this study, a conventional ZrO₂-7%Y₂O₃ spray powder was ball-milled to produce nanocrystalline powders with high levels of crystalline disorders for deposition of thermal barrier coatings. The powder was milled both with 100Cr6 steel balls and with ZrO₂-3%Y₂O₃ ceramic balls as grinding media. The milling time was varied in order to investigate the effect of the milling time on the crystallite size. The powders were investigated in terms of their crystallite sizes and morphologies by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that under given milling conditions the powder was already nanostructured after 40 min milling. The crystallite size decreased significantly with increasing milling time within first 120 min. After that, a further increase of milling time did not lead to a significant reduction of the crystallite size. Ball-milling led to lattice microstrains. Milling with the steel balls resulted in finer nano-sized crystal grains, but caused the contamination of the powder. The nano-sized crystal grains coarsened during the heat-treatment at 1250°C.     

Friction and wear behaviour of Thordon XL and LgSn80 in sliding against plasma-sprayed Cr2O3 coatings

This paper studies the friction and wear behaviour of two important bearing materials, Thordon XL and LgSn80, in dry and lubricated sliding vs. plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ coatings. As a reference, AISI 1043 steel is also studied under the same conditions. SEM, EDS and surface topography were employed to study the wear mechanisms. The results indicate that the Thordon XL/Cr₂O₃ coating pair gives the lowest dry friction coefficient (0.16) under a normal load of 45.3 N (pressure 0.453 MPa) at a velocity of 1 m/s. The dry friction coefficient of Thordon XL/Cr₂O₃ coating increases to 0.38 under a normal load of 88.5 N (pressure 0.885 MPa). The dry friction coefficients of the LgSn80/Cr₂O₃ coating are in the range of 0.31–0.46. Secondly, both dry wear rate under low normal load (45.3 N) and lubricated wear rate under a load of 680 N for Thordon XL are lower than those of LgSn80 in sliding against plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ coatings at a speed of 1 m/s. However, under a normal load of 88.5 N the dry wear rate of Thordon XL is much higher than that of LgSn80. Thirdly, a high viscosity lubricant (SAE 140) leads to lower wear for Thordon XL and LgSn80 than a low viscosity lubricant (SAE 30). Finally, the dominating wear mechanism for Thordon XL is shear fracture when against the plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ ceramic coating. For LgSn80 against plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ ceramic coating, abrasive wear is the governing failure mechanism.     

Friction and wear behaviour of plasma-sprayed Cr2O3 coatings against steel in a wide range of sliding velocities and normal loads

This study investigates the influence of sliding speed and normal load on the friction and wear of plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ coatings, in dry and lubricated sliding against AISI D2 steel. Friction and wear tests were performed in a wide speed range of 0.125–8 m/s under different normal loads using a block-on-ring tribometer. SEM, EDS and XPS were employed to identify the mechanical and chemical changes on the worn surfaces. A tangential impact wear model was proposed to explain the steep rising of wear from the minimum wear to the maximum wear. The results show that the wear of Cr₂O₃ coatings increases with increasing load. Secondly, there exist a minimum-wear sliding speed (0.5 m/s) and a maximum-wear sliding speed (3 m/s) for a Cr₂O₃ coating in dry sliding. With the increase of speed, the wear of a Cr₂O₃ coating decreases in the range 0.125–0.5 m/s, then rises steeply from 0.5 m/s to 3 m/s, followed by a decrease thereafter. The large variation of wear with respect to speed can be explained by stick-slip at low speeds, the tangential impact effect at median speeds and the softening effect of flash temperature at high speeds. Thirdly, the chemical compositions of the transfer film are a-Fe₂O₃ in the speed range 0.25–2 m/s, and FeO at 7 m/s. In addition, the wear mechanisms of a Cr₂O₃ coating in dry sliding versus AISI D2 steel are adhesion at low speeds, brittle fracture at median speeds and a mixture of abrasion and brittle fracture at high speeds. Finally the lubricated wear of Cr₂O₃ coating increases sharply from 1 to 2.8 m/s.     

Influence of Al2O3 reinforcement on the abrasive wear characteristic of Al2O3/PA1010 composite coatings

In the present study, the abrasive wear characteristics of Al₂O₃/PA1010 composite coatings were tested on the turnplate abrasive wear testing machine. Steel 45 (quenched and low-temperature tempered) was used as a reference material. The experimental results showed that when the Al₂O₃ particles have been treated with a silane coupling agent (γ-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane), the abrasive wear resistance of Al₂O₃/PA1010 composite coatings has a good linear relationship with the volume fraction of Al₂O₃ particles in Al₂O₃/PA1010 composite coatings and the linear correlation coefficient is 0.979. Under the experimental conditions, the size of Al₂O₃ particles (40.5-161.0 μm) has little influence on the abrasive wear resistance of Al₂O₃/PA1010 composite coatings. By treating the surface of Al₂O₃ particles with the silane coupling agent, the distribution of Al₂O₃ particles in PA1010 matrix is more homogeneous and the bonding state between Al₂O₃ particles and PA1010 matrix is better. Therefore, the Al₂O₃ particles make the Al₂O₃/PA1010 composite coatings have better abrasive wear resistance than PA1010 coating. The wear resistance of Al₂O₃/PA1010 composite coatings is about 45% compared with that of steel 45.     

Effects of anti-wear additives on friction and wear properties of Cr2O3 coating

The effects of some anti-wear additives on the friction and wear behaviour of plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ coating were investigated using a block-on-ring tester at ambient conditions. The results show that zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP), tricesyl phosphate (TCP) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) significantly reduce the wear of Cr₂O₃ coating lubricated by paraffin oil. Additive concentrations as well as sliding time have great influence on the wear. The friction coefficient varies slightly with test conditions. The analysis by XPS of worn surfaces indicates that the wear resistance of these additives is due to the formation of tribochemical reaction films by reacting with Cr₂O₃ coatings.     

Tribological performance of MoS2---B2O3 compacts

A recent investigation suggests that selected oxides perform well as additives in molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) because of their ability to soften at asperity contacts with the result that the solid lubricant can attain and retain a preferred tribological orientation.This research determined the effectiveness of boric oxide (B₂O₃), when used as an additive in MoS₂, for substrate temperatures ranging from 21°C to 316°C. This range was used to allow the asperity contact temperature to vary below and above the softening point of B₂O₃. It was found that a moderate friction coefficient and high wear, which is attributed to the additive acting abrasively, occurred when the asperity contact temperature was well below the softening point of the oxide. When the asperity contact temperature neared the softening point of the oxide, the friction coefficient increased dramatically and wear volume was reduced. It is postulated that B₂O₃ acted adhesively at the interface resulting in a higher coefficient of friction, and wear decreased due to an attainment of a preferred orientation by the MoS₂. For asperity contact temperatures significantly above the softening point of B₂O₃, the friction coefficient returned to about the same value as for temperatures below the softening point. It is speculated that wear continued to increase moderately because of localized melting of the B₂O₃, permitting the MoS₂ to be removed from the interface. These observations support a hypothesis that an additive, such as boric oxide, can soften as the asperity contact temperature approaches the softening point temperature of the additive so that the overall tribological conditions may be improved resulting in reduced interfacial wear. Significant changes in temperature, load or sliding velocity would, of course, dramatically alter the wear characteristics observed at the interface.     

Tribological behavior of select MAX phases against Al2O3 at elevated temperatures

The layered M_n+1AC_n ternary carbides – MAX phases – Ta₂AlC, Ti₂AlC, Cr₂AlC and Ti₃SiC₂ were tested under dry sliding conditions against alumina at 550 °C and 3 N load (for a stress of ≈0.08 MPa) using a pin-on-disk tribometer. Ta₂AlC and Ti₂AlC exhibited low specific wear rates, SWRs, (≤1 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/N m), while the coefficients of friction, μ, were 0.9 and 0.6, respectively. At 0.4, μ of Ti₃SiC₂ was the lowest measured, but the SWR, at ≈2 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/N m, was high. With a μ of 0.44 and a SWR of 6 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/N m the Cr₂AlC sample was in between. No visible wear of Al₂O₃ counterparts was observed in all the tribocouples. Tribofilms, which were mainly comprised of X-ray amorphous oxides of the M and A elements and, in some cases, unoxidized grains of the corresponding MAX phases, were formed on the contact surfaces. The correlations between observed tribological properties and tribofilm characteristics are discussed.     

Tribological behaviour of plasma sprayed Al2O3 and TiO2 ceramic hard coatings under dry contact

Plasma sprayed ceramic coatings are used in a number of industries in which surface modification of components to compare tribological properties is important: so hence, are evaluations of their tribological properties. This paper presents a study on the wear behaviour of three ceramic coatings — Al₂O₃, TiO₂ and Al₂O₃-TiO₂combination — in the load and speed ranges of 5 to 50 N, and 0.3 to 10 m/s, respectively, on which few data are available in the literature. The tests were carried out using a standard dry sand rubber wheel abrasion test and a pin-on-disc machine under dry sliding conditions. It was found that a stick-slip effect seems to occur at low sliding speeds, and transition takes place at a sliding speed of around 4 m/s. Of the three ceramic coatings, TiO₂ was found to be the most wear resistant, with the least friction coefficient, although it is less hard than the Al₂O₃ coatings. Scanning electron microscopy of the surface shows evidence of wear mechanisms such as plastic deformation, transfer-film formation, micro cracks, and grain pull-out in the coatings.     

Tribological properties of spark-plasma-sintered ZrO2(Y2O3)-CaF2-Ag composites at elevated temperatures

Spark-plasma sintering is employed to synthesize self-lubricating ZrO₂(Y₂O₃) matrix composites with different additives of CaF₂ and Ag as solid lubricants by tailoring the composition and by adjusting the sintering temperature. The friction and wear behavior of ZrO₂(Y₂O₃) matrix composites have been investigated in dry sliding against an alumina ball from room temperature to 800 °C. The effective self-lubrication at different temperatures depends mainly on the content of various solid lubricants in the composites. The addition of 35 wt.% Ag and 30 wt.% CaF₂ in the ZrO₂(Y₂O₃) matrix can promote the formation of a well-covered lubricating film, and effectively reduce the friction and wear over the entire temperature range studied. The friction coefficients at low temperatures were at a minimum value for the composite containing 35 wt.% of silver. At this silver concentration, low and intermediate temperature lubricating properties are greatly improved without affecting high-temperature lubrication by the calcium fluoride in ZrO₂(Y₂O₃) matrix composites. The worn surfaces and transfer films formed during wear process have been characterized to identify the synergistic lubrication behavior of CaF₂ and Ag lubricants at different temperatures.     

Tribological behaviors of plasma sprayed CuAl/Ni-graphite composite coating

Aluminum bronze (CuAl) coating reinforced by nickel cladded graphite (Ni-graphite) was fabricated by air plasma spraying. Results show that the Ni-graphite had excellent interfacial compatibility with the CuAl matrix. With occurrence of re-graphitization of the graphite and the so-formed lubricating film on its frictional surface, the CuAl/Ni-graphite coating had a wear rate dozens of times lower than those of the other CuAl-based coatings benefited from the greatly alleviated abrasion wear and splats delamination. Additionally, the CuAl/Ni-graphite coating generated slightest damage to the frictional counterpart, showing the promise to be a bearing coating.     

Correlations between microstructural parameters, micromechanical properties and wear resistance of plasma sprayed ceramic coatings

The micromechanical integrity of a ceramic plasma sprayed (PS) coating is determined by the size and distribution of the defects found in the coating, such as porosity, the inter-lamellar microcrack density, the intra-lamellar microcrack density as well as the lamellar, or splat, dimensions. In this work, several micromechanical tests were used to advance our understanding of the relationships between the different microstructural parameters found in PS ceramic coatings. The tests included depth sensing indentation, micro and macrohardness testing, and controlled scratch testing. Abrasive and erosive wear tests were performed on the same set of coatings, including plasma sprayed alumina and chromia, as well as sintered alumina as a reference material. The best correlations were found between the material hardness (H), the level of porosity (P) and the abrasive wear volume (W). Knoop hardness measurements provided the best correlation with wear data, followed by scratch hardness and Vickers hardness. An exponential function of the type W=k/Hⁿ was found, where k and n are constants. A similar function describes the correlation of wear volume with the elastic modulus of the coating. Fracture toughness could only be correlated with wear volume when combined with hardness in a function of the type W=k/H^0.5K_c^0.5. The incorporation into this function of a “microstructural factor” M=Pⁿ improves the correlation.     

Wear and friction characteristics of atmospheric plasma sprayed Cr3C2–NiCr coatings

ABSTRACT

The present work focuses on investigating the wear and friction characteristics of the Atmospheric Plasma Sprayed Cr₃C₂-NiCr coatings deposited onto the surface of die steel material. The as-sprayed specimens were characterized. The coating porosity, bond strength and microhardness values were evaluated. Wear tests were performed on the high-temperature pin-on-disc tribometer at room temperatures, 400°C and 800°C under two loads as 25N and 50N in the laboratory. The wear mechanisms of all the worn-out samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. The specific wear rates and the coefficient of friction values were analyzed. The developed coating showed better wear resistance than its uncoated counterpart. The coefficient of friction values for coated specimens decreased at elevated temperatures. At room temperatures, the wear mode was observed to be adhesive and further at elevated temperatures of testing, the wear mode was observed to be the combination of oxidative, adhesive and abrasive.     

Microstructure and tribological characteristics of ZrO2–Y2O3 ceramic coatings deposited by laser-assisted plasma hybrid spraying

ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ ceramic coatings were deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel by both a low-pressure plasma spraying (LPPS) and a laser-assisted plasma hybrid spraying (LPHS). Microstructure and tribological characteristics of ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ coatings were studied using an optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope, and an SRV high-temperature friction and wear tester. The LPHS coatings exhibit distinctly reduced porosity, uniform microstructure, high hardness and highly adhesive bonding, although more microcracks and even vertical macrocracks seem to be caused in the LPHS coatings. The ZrO₂ lamellae in the LPHS coatings before and after 800°C wear test consist mainly of the metastable tetragonal (t′) phase of ZrO₂ together with small amount of c phase. The t′ phase is very stable when it is exposed to the wear test at elevated temperatures up to 800°C for 1 h. The friction and wear of the LPHS coatings shows a strong dependence on temperature, changing from a low to a high wear regime with the increase of temperature. At low temperatures, friction and wear of the LPHS coatings is improved by laser irradiation because of the reduced connected pores and high hardness in contrary to the LPPS coating. However, at elevated temperatures, the friction and wear of the LPHS coatings is not reduced by laser irradiation. At room temperature, mild scratching and plastic deformation of the LPHS coatings are the main failure mechanism. However, surface fatigue, microcrack propagation, and localized spallation featured by intersplat fracture, crumbling and pulling-out of ZrO₂ splats become more dominated at elevated temperatures.     

Tribological properties of ZrO2 (Y2O3)-Mo-BaF2/CaF2 composites at high temperatures

ZrO₂ (Y₂O₃) with different contents of BaF₂/CaF₂ and Mo were fabricated by hot pressed sintering, and the tribological behavior of the composites against SiC ceramic was investigated from room temperature to 1000 °C. It was found that the ZrO₂ (Y₂O₃)-5BaF₂/CaF₂-10Mo composite possessed excellent self-lubricating and anti-wear properties. The low friction and wear were attributed to enhanced matrix and BaMoO₄ formed on the worn surfaces.     

不同润滑条件下氧化铝陶瓷衬板的磨损机制

在干摩擦、水润滑、油润滑3种不同润滑条件下对氧化铝陶瓷进行摩擦磨损试验。利用SEM对磨损后的磨痕进行观察并进行显微组织结构分析,探讨不同介质下氧化铝陶瓷的磨损机制。结果表明:氧化铝陶瓷材料干摩擦条件下的磨损机制为大量的脆性剥落和大量的磨粒磨损,在水润滑条件下为较少的脆性剥落和轻微的磨粒磨损,在油润滑条件下为很少的脆性剥落和极微的磨粒磨损;液体润滑剂可使氧化铝陶瓷材料的磨损量大幅度降低,其中油润滑条件的减磨效果最为突出。