The Influence of Water Addition on High-Temperature Tribological Properties of Interstitial Free Steel Sliding against Different Counterparts

The influence of only water addition on the hot metal forming process has not yet been reported in regard to tribological performance. In the present study, simulation tests were carried out on a pin-on-disc tribometer to evaluate the effects of water lubrication on the wear and friction behaviors of interstitial free (IF) steel sliding against different countersurface materials at 800°C in comparison with those in dry sliding. The opposing materials were selected as GCr15 steel and ceramic-based compounds including ZrO₂, SiC, and Si₃N₄. It has been found that Si-based component–IF steel pairs exhibit the lowest wear losses despite achieving relatively high friction. Water addition adversely impairs the friction and wear characteristics on steel-steel tribopairs, whereas it shows insignificant effects on the pair involving ceramic-based components except ZrO₂. Varying tribological responses can be found among different mated surfaces under water lubrication. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy were utilized to examine the worn surface. The acting mechanism of water addition for different rubbing pairs was further discussed from the aspects of oxide tribochemistry.     

Tribological Behavior of MoSi2 and Its Composites in Sliding Against Ni-Based Alloys

In this paper, MoSi₂ and its composites were fabricated by hot pressing method. The roles of the second phase as mechanical and tribological components were studied. The results showed that B₄C and ZrO₂ particulates could be used for the strengthening and toughening of MoSi₂ respectively. The tribological behaviors of MoSi₂ and its composites sliding against Ni–Cr alloy and Ni–Cr–S alloy at room temperature and 600 °C were investigated on a tribometer with a pin-on-disk configuration. MoSi₂–SiC exhibited the best tribological performance. The wear behaviors of MoSi₂ and its composites were well correlated with their toughening mechanisms in sliding against Ni–Cr alloy at room temperature. Due to the introduction of chromium sulfides, the formation and removal process of the transferred layers at 600 °C controlled the wear mechanism of MoSi₂ and its composites. The tribo-oxidation was an important factor favorable to wear reduction.     

Mechanical and tribological behavior of the metal matrix composite AA6061/ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/C

This study investigates the influence of zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) and graphite (C) on the mechanical and tribological behavior of aluminum-based metal matrix composite (AA6061) fabricated through the stir casting. Metal matrix composites (MMC) are prepared with the following weight percentages: 100 % AA; 96 % AA-2 % ZrO₂-2 % C; 88 % AA-6 % ZrO₂-6 % C; 92 % AA-6 % ZrO₂-2 % C; and 96 % AA-2 % ZrO₂-6 % C. The microstructure and the mechanical and tribological behavior are characterized, and their correlations are obtained. Microstructural studies of the MMC reveal a uniform distribution of ZrO₂ and C particles in the AA6061 matrix. The addition of ZrO₂ improves the hardness from 6 % to 12 % (30 HRC to 40.94 HRC) and the ultimate tensile strength from 8 % to 15 % (128 MPa to 166.3 MPa) of the base metal (AA6061). The tribological behavior of wear and the frictional properties of the MMC are also studied by performing dry sliding wear test using pin-on-disc method. Result shows that the minimum and maximum wear rates of MMC are 5 E-9 and 6.2 E-9 (g/mm), respectively, at speed of 850 rpm and constant sliding distance of 1000 m.     

Wear and Tribological Performance of Different Ceramic Tools in Dry High Speed Machining of Ni-Co-Cr Precipitation Hardenable Aerospace Superalloy

Tool wear is an important machinability criterion. To reduce total machining costs, this study demonstrates the wear and tribological performance of four ceramic tools in dry high-speed turning of Ni-Co-Cr precipitation hardenable superalloy (Inconel 100). Wear of the tool materials and the structural and phase transformations at the tool–chip interface were investigated. Results obtained reveal that SiAlON ceramic outperformed other ceramic tool materials at different cutting speeds due to the formation of a large amount of mullite tribofilms on the tool face, which serve as a thermal barrier layer. Alumina ceramic with the addition of ZrO₂ can be recommended for machining Inconel 100 at speeds above 150 m/min due to its ability to form thermal barrier ZrO₂ tribofilms, which decrease the coefficient of friction at the tool–chip interface. Mixed alumina and an alumina matrix reinforced with SiC_w were found to be unsuitable for machining age-hardened Inconel 100 superalloy.     

Sliding Wear Characteristics of AZ91D Alloy at Ambient Temperatures of 25–200 °C

The dry sliding wear tests were performed for AZ91D alloy under the loads of 12.5–300 N and the ambient temperatures of 25–200 °C. We studied the wear characteristics of AZ91D alloy as a function of the normal load and the ambient temperature. The mild-to-severe wear transition occurred with increasing the load and the critical load reduced with the ambient temperature rising. However, no matter how high the ambient temperature was in the range of 25–200 °C, the mild wear prevailed under the lower loads. Especially, the AZ91D alloy presented a lower wear rate at 200 °C than at 25 and 100 °C under the low loads of 12.5–25 N, but vice versa under the loads of more than 25 N. These phenomena seem to be contradictory to the popular view that the mild-to-severe wear transition is controlled by the critical surface temperature. These may be attributed to a thick and hard mechanical mixing layer (MML) containing the mixture of MgAl₂O₄ and Mg on the worn surface. The MML thickened with increasing the ambient temperature (under the low loads), effectively reduced wear and markedly elevated the critical surface temperature. The oxidative wear and delamination wear successively predominated in the mild wear regime; the gross plastic-induced wear would prevail in the severe wear regime.     

Friction and Wear Characteristics of BaCr2O4 Ceramics at Elevated Temperatures in Sliding Against Sintered Alumina Ball

In this article, friction and wear characteristics of BaCr₂O₄ ceramics have been investigated using a high-temperature friction and wear tester from room temperature to 800?°C in dry sliding against sintered alumina ball. At room temperature, the friction coefficient and wear rate of BaCr₂O₄ ceramics are quite high. BaCr₂O₄ ceramics exhibit low friction coefficients and small wear rates with temperature increasing up to 400?C600?°C. The oxidation reaction of BaCr₂O₄ during high-temperature wear tests is responsible for the tribological properties. The oxidized product of BaCr₂O₄ is BaCrO₄, which forms a smooth self-lubricating film on the worn surface to effectively reduce friction and wear. However, at 800?°C, severe oxidation reduces the relative density of sintered BaCr₂O₄ ceramics, and further expedites the materials removal process.     

Effect of 10 wt% VC on the Friction and Sliding Wear of Spark Plasma–Sintered WC–12 wt% Co Cemented Carbides

The effect of 10 wt% VC addition on the friction and sliding wear response of WC–12 wt% Co cemented carbides produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS) was studied. The SPS of WC–12 wt% Co alloys with and without 10 wt% VC, at 1100 and 1130°C, respectively, yielded dense materials with minimal porosity. No eta phase was found in any of the alloys. The WC–12 wt% Co–10 wt% VC alloy showed the formation of a hard WV₄C₅ phase, which improved the alloy's hardness. Friction and dry sliding wear tests were done using a ball-on-disk configuration under an applied load of 10 N and sliding speed of 0.26 m.s^?1, and a 100Cr-steel ball was used as the counterface. A significant improvement in the sliding wear response of the harder and more fracture tough WC–12 wt% Co–10 wt% VC alloy compared to the WC–12 wt% Co alloy was found. Analysis of the worn surfaces by scanning electron microscopy showed that the wear mechanisms included plastic deformation, preferential binder removal, adhesion, and carbide grain cracking and fragmentation.     

Microstructure,tribological and mechanical strengthening effect of multiphase Zn/ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-SiC electrodeposited composite coatings

In an attempt to improve the mechanical and thermal resilient properties of mild steel, Zn-ZrO₂-SiC composite coating was fabricated from zinc-based sulphate electrolyte with incorporated composite particles of ZrO₂/SiC at 2.0 A/cm² for 10 min. The effects of particle on the mechanical properties were examined using scanning electron microscope attached with energy dispersion spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The micro-hardness and wear resistance behaviour were determined with high diamond micro-hardness tester and three body abrasive MTR-300 testers with dry sand rubber wheel apparatus with 5 N. The fabricated coating was thermally heated at 200 °C for 4 h to evaluate the coating stability. From the results, a modification in the microstructure and topographic orientation as a result of incorporated composite was noticed on the zinc matrix. The mechanical and thermal properties were observed to be considerably improved by the incorporation of the ZrO₂/SiC weight fraction. A significant improvement in wear and hardness properties were also obtained for the multiphase embedded coatings.     

Tribological properties of Ni-17.5Si-29.3Cr alloy at room and elevated temperatures

The tribological properties of Ni-17.5Si-29.3Cr alloy against Si₃N₄ were studied on a ball-on-disc tribotester between room temperature and 1000 °C. The effects of temperature on the tribological properties of the alloy were investigated. The worn surfaces of the alloy were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that the tribological behavior of the alloy expressed some differences with increase in testing temperature. At low and moderate temperatures (below 800 °C), the alloy showed excellent wear and oxidation resistances, and the wear rate of the alloy remained in the magnitude of 10^?5 mm³/Nm; but at elevated temperature (800–1000 °C), the wear and oxidation resistances decreased, and the wear rate of the alloy increased up to 10^?4 mm³/Nm. The friction coefficient decreased from 0.58 to 0.46 with the rising of testing temperature from 20 to 600 °C, and then remained nearly constant. The wear mechanism of the alloy was mainly fracture and delamination at low and moderate temperatures, and transformed to adhesive and oxidation at elevated temperatures.     

Effects of Glass-to-Rubber Transition on the Friction Properties of ZrO2 Reinforced Polybenzoxazine Nanocomposites

The present work is a generic study to examine the effects of the glass-to-rubber transition of resin matrix on the friction and wear characteristics of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) reinforced polybenzoxazine nanocomposites, in relation to the content of ZrO₂. The thermal and tribological properties of the nanocomposites were measured by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA) and friction test, respectively. DMA results revealed that the storage modulus and T _g values of the nanocomposites increased with increasing ZrO₂ content to 4 wt%, due to the exceptional mechanical strength of ZrO₂ particles and the interfacial adhesion between ZrO₂ and matrix to restrict the segmental motion of polymer. The friction coefficient (COF) values as a function of applied load (50?C750?N) for the nanocomposites under testing temperatures (50, 100, 200, 250, and 300?°C) were measured. Comparable to the pure resin, the nanocomposites possessed relatively higher COF values with the increase of applied pressure under varying temperatures, which resulted from the reinforcement of ZrO₂. It is noted that the nanocomposites containing 4 wt% ZrO₂ occupied relatively higher modulus and glass transition temperature, resulting in better capability to stabilize the friction coefficient and wear rate under the applied conditions. In addition, the friction mechanism of the nanocomposites were proposed based on the experimental and reference results.     

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.     

Tribological characteristics of polycrystalline Magnéli-type titanium dioxides

The results presented in this paper have clarified experimentally, that titania-based Magnéli-phases (Ti₄O₇/Ti₅O₉ and Ti₆O₁₁) with (121)-shear planes exhibit more anti-wear properties than lubricious (low-frictional) properties. The results for dry sliding indicate that the coefficients of friction lie in the range of 0.1–0.6 depending on sliding speed and ambient temperature. The COF decreased with increasing temperature (T= 22–800°C) and increasing sliding speed (υ= 1−6 m/s). The dry sliding wear rate was lowest for the Al₂O₃ at 1 m/s at 800°C with values of 1.7 × 10−8 and 6.4 × 10−8 mm³/N m, comparable to boundary/mixed lubrication, associated with a high dry frictional power loss of 30 W/mm². The running-in wear length and, more important, the wear rate decreased under oscillating sliding tests with increasing relative humidity. The contact pressure for high-/low-wear transition increased under oscillating sliding tests with increasing relative humidity. At room temperature and a relative humidity of 100% the steady-state wear rate under dry oscillating sliding for the couple Al₂O₃/Ti₄O₇–Ti₅O₉ was lower than 2 × 10−7 mm³/N m and therefore inferior to the resolution of the continuous wear measurement sensor. TEM of wear tracks from oscillating sliding revealed at room temperature a work-hardening as mechanism to explain the running-in behavior and the high wear resistance. The hydroxylation of titania surfaces favours the high-/low-wear transition. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Microstructure and tribological properties of laser clad γ/Cr7C3/TiC composite coatings on γ-TiAl intermetallic alloy

In order to improve the wear resistance of the γ-TiAl intermetallic alloy, microstructure, room- and high-temperature (600 °C) wear behaviors of laser clad γ/Cr₇C₃/TiC composite coatings with different constitution of NiCr–Cr₃C₂ precursor-mixed powders have been investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), block-on-ring (room-temperature) and pin-on-disk (high-temperature) wear tests. The responding wear mechanisms are discussed in detail. Results show that microstructures of the laser clad composite coatings have non-equilibrium solidified microstructures consisting of primary hard Cr₇C₃ and TiC carbides and the inter-primary γ/Cr₇C₃ eutectic matrix, about three to five times higher average microhardness compared with the TiAl alloy substrate. Higher wear resistance than the original TiAl alloy is achieved in the clad composite coatings under dry sliding wear conditions, which is closely related to the formation of non-equilibrium solidified reinforced Cr₇C₃ and TiC carbides and the positive contribution of the relatively ductile and tough γ/Cr₇C₃ eutectics matrix and their stability under high-temperature exposure.     

Electron microscopic studies of CuS nanocrystals formed in Langmuir-Blodgett films

The morphology and structure of CuS crystals formed during sulfidation of copper behenate films obtained by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method have been studied using high resolution electron microscopy. The average size of these crystals is about 3 nm and increases by a factor of approximately 2.2 after annealing at a temperature of 150 °C or above. Analysis of interplanar distances has shown that in the range of annealing temperatures of 150–200 °C, CuS nanocrystals have a P6_3/mmc hexagonal crystal lattice with parameters a = 0.38 nm and c = 1.64 nm. At annealing temperatures of 250 °C or above, the Cu₂S crystalline phase begins to form, in addition to CuS nanocrystals. The proportion of this phase increases with increasing annealing temperature. Cu₂S nanocrystals have a hexagonal crystal lattice type with the P6_3/mmc spatial group and unit cell parameters a = 0.39 nm and c = 0.68 nm. Quantitative evaluation of copper and sulfur in individual CuS and Cu₂S nanocrystals was performed by local analysis of characteristic X-ray spectra.     

Experimental determination of static and dynamic coefficients of sliding friction of epilam-coated materials

The effect of the method for depositing epilam coatings on materials on the static and dynamic coefficients of sliding friction is experimentally studied. Experiments were carried out using the pin-on-plate arrangement under dry friction conditions at a constant velocity of sliding under pressures of 0.5–5 MPa. It has been found that, for a like friction pair made from the 14Kh17N2 steel, the deposition of epilam coatings on materials reduces the coefficients of friction, but the wear resistance of the coated materials changes only slightly because the epilam film has a molecular-layer thickness. Thermovacuum tests carried out at T = 350°C under a pressure of 10^?6 Torr have shown the loss of the antifriction properties of the materials covered with the 6SFK-180-05 epilam.     

Effect of surface treatment by ceramic conversion on the fretting behavior of NiTi shape memory alloy

Three types of surface-treated NiTi samples, M-1 (700 °C/0.5 h), M-2 (650 °C/1 h) and M-3 (400 °C/50 h), were prepared by ceramic conversion treatment under different conditions. The effect of the surface treatment on the fretting behavior of NiTi alloy was investigated in the Ringer’s solution by using a horizontal servo-hydraulic fretting apparatus. The experimental results indicated that the surface layer of the low temperature (400 °C) treated samples M-3 was dominated by a single TiO₂ layer, while the high temperature (650 and 700 °C) treated samples M-1 and M-2 consisted of surface TiO₂ layer followed by a TiNi₃ layer. These surface layers were found to have a strong effect on the fretting behavior of the NiTi alloy in terms of changes in the shape of the curves of the tangential force (F _t) versus displacement (d), the fretting regimes and the damage mechanisms involved. The stress-induced reorientation of martensite bands in the NiTi alloy could decrease the slope of the F _t–d curve and thus increase the elastic accommodation ability of the NiTi plate against 1Cr13 steel ball pair. However, since the surface-treated layers could suppress the martensite reorientation in the NiTi substrate and thus decrease the elastic accommodation ability of NiTi, the gross slip started at a smaller displacement amplitude for the surface-treated NiTi samples than for the untreated one. The main wear mechanism of the as-received NiTi alloy in slip regime was adhesion and delamination, while the major damage to the high temperature treated NiTi samples M-1 and M-2 was determined as the spallation of surface-treated layers. Due to the high bonding strength of the surface-treated layer with NiTi substrate, the low temperature treated NiTi samples M-3 showed the best fretting wear resistance in all samples tested.     

Effect of Lubrication Conditions on the Wear of UHMWPE with Noncyclic Motion and Load

Abstract

In orthopaedic tribology, one of the most debated issues is the optimal lubricant. Many different types, concentrations, additives and temperatures of serum-based lubricants are in use. With the multidirectional RandomPOD wear test device, several different lubrication conditions were studied for conventional, gamma-sterilized ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) against polished CoCr. The conditions included dry, deionized water, phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and Alpha calf serum. Only with serum, wear was similar to that known to occur clinically. It was highly linear and of substantial magnitude. Polyethylene surface was burnished and no macroscopic wear debris was produced. The absence of polyethylene transfer, however, was not limited to serum lubrication only. With PBS, no transfer occurred and the same held true occasionally with dry sliding. An increased temperature, 37?°C, as opposed to 20?°C, of 1:1 diluted serum was found to increase the standard deviation of wear factor 2.7 to 4.4-fold, depending on whether an antimicrobial additive, NaN₃, was absent or present (0.2%). In the absense of NaN₃, the mean wear factor at 20?°C was 2.9-fold higher than at 37?°C. In the presence of NaN₃, the corresponding difference was 1.8-fold. A one-day vs. a 6-day serum change interval resulted in wear factors not statistically different from each other. The same held true for the wear factors with undiluted serum vs. serum diluted 1:1. The lubrication conditions appear to have significant effects in wear studies of orthopaedic implant materials and so they need to be carefully chosen.     

Tribo-oxidation of Self-mated Ti3SiC2 at Elevated Temperatures and Low Speed

The tribological behavior of self-mated Ti₃SiC₂ is investigated from ambient temperature to 800?°C at a sliding speed of 0.01?m/s in air. The results show that at the temperatures lower than 300?°C, friction coefficient and wear rates are as high as 0.95 and 10^?3?mm³/N?m, respectively. With the temperature increasing to 600?°C, both the friction coefficient and wear rates show consecutive decrease. At 700 and 800?°C, friction coefficient and wear rates are 0.5 and 10^?6 mm³/N?m, respectively. According to the wear mechanism, the tribological behavior of Ti₃SiC₂ can be divided into three regimes: mechanical wear-dominated regime from ambient temperature to 300?°C characterized by pullout of grains; mixed wear regime (mechanical wear and oxidation wear) from 400 to 600?°C; and tribo-oxidation-dominated wear regime above 700?°C. The tribo-oxides on the worn surfaces involve oxides of Si and Ti. And, species transformation occurs to these two oxides with the increasing temperature. In the competition oxidation of elements Ti and Si, Si is preferably oxidized because of its high active position in the crystal structure. Additionally, plastic flow is another notable characteristic for the tribological behavior of self-mated Ti₃SiC₂.     

Analysis of dry sliding friction and wear behaviour of AA6351–SiC–B4C composites using grey relational analysis

Abstract

This paper describes the multifactor based experiments that are applied to investigate the dry sliding wear system of aluminium matrix alloy (AA6351) with 5 wt-% silicon carbide (SiC), 5 wt-% and 10 wt-% of boron carbide (B₄C) reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs). Stir casting route was adopted to prepare the composites and the tribological experiments were carried out on pin-on-disc type wear machine. The effects of parameters like applied load, sliding velocity, wt-% of B₄C on the dry sliding wear and frictional coefficient of aluminium MMCs using grey relational analysis (GRA) are reported. The orthogonal array with L9 layout and analysis of variance were used to investigate the influence of the parameters. It is observed that the dry sliding friction and wear behaviour of the composites are influenced by the applied load, sliding velocity and wt-% of B₄C with a contribution of 60·82%, 21·72% and 14·28% respectively. The optimal design parameters were found by grey relational grade and a good agreement was observed for 95% level of confidence.     

The effect of the transfer film on the friction and wear of dry bearing materials for a power plant application

Friction and wear tests have been carried out for a number of commercial dry bearing materials containing polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), MoS₂ or graphite for a specific turbogenerator application. The effect of operating temperatures up to 300 °C has been investigated. The performance of the materials was strongly related to the formation and stability of a transferred film. PTFE-containing materials offered the most favourable performance over a wide temperature range; the wear rate obeyed a modified form of Archard's adhesive wear law. A simple model for the running-in behaviour of these materials is proposed.