Abstract
Pin-on-disk type unidirectional sliding wear experiments for an Al-Si alloy impregnated graphite composite (pin) in contact with a bearing steel (disk) were conducted at various contact loads in wet and dry air to investigate the wear behaviors in detail. The pin-lifting phenomena of the composite as observed. The height was constant at lower loads and increased with load. The entrance of wear particles into the contacting surfaces brought about the pin lifting. Mixtures of graphite powder and wear particles adhered to the sliding surface of the bearing steel, resulting in the formation of wide, compacted surface films. The mean thickness of the films increased with load to a few micrometers. The composite exhibited better wear resistance than the matrices in wet air and the wear rate decreased especially at high loads. The wide, compacted films together with the pin-lifting phenomena prevent metal-to-metal contact, achieving a good anti-wear condition. On the other hand, the surface films that adhere in a scaled fashion in dry air have little wear reduction effect.
Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Paper at the STLE/ASME Tribology Conference in Orlando, Florida October 11–13, 1999
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Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Paper at the STLE/ASME Tribology Conference in Orlando, Florida October 11–13, 1999