The tribological behaviour of nickel and nickel-chromium alloys at temperatures from 20° to 800 °C

Measurements are presented of friction and wear during sliding of specimens of Ni-Cr alloys containing 0% to 40% Cr on like specimens in air at 20°, 400° and 800 °C. The worn specimens have been examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis and electron diffraction and microhardness measurements have been made.Under the sliding conditions used, all the alloys show a transition temperature above which a low coefficient of friction and usually relatively low wear are observed after a time and below which these parameters remain relatively high throughout. Above the transition temperatures, the frictiontime loci show sharp reproducible changes from relatively high to low coefficients of friction. Such changes can be associated with the formation of a thermally softened oxide layer (termed a glaze) on the bearing areas during sliding. Once the glaze is formed, very little further wear occurs for the high chromium-content alloys, although further damage does take place with the weaker low chromium-content alloys, especially at temperatures just above the transition temperature. These tribological properties of the glaze are associated with its low shear strength and the strength of the underlying alloy substrate.During sliding at temperatures below the transition temperatures, metal-to-metal contact takes place, although oxide is formed on the bearing area of the low chromium-content alloys even at 20 °C. The friction and wear behaviour is largely determined by the strength and work-hardenability of the alloy.Correlations between the tribological behaviour of these binary Ni-Cr alloys and commercial Nimonic alloys indicate that the trace elements in the latter play only a relatively minor role in determining this behaviour. It is concluded that high strengths and relatively rapid transient oxidation rates of the alloys, and appropriate physical properties of the resulting oxide films, are important qualities of the alloys under the conditions used.