Enhanced Antiwear Property of Cu-Sn-Bi Bimetal Composites with TiB₂ under Different Working Conditions

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of TiB₂ on the tribological properties of CuSn10Bi3 bimetallic bearing materials. CuSn10Bi3 samples with different contents of TiB₂ were fabricated by powder sintering technology. Their metallographic structures and tribological characteristics under different working conditions were analyzed and compared. The results showed that TiB₂ refined the copper alloy grains, passivated the grain boundary edges, and reduced the surface porosity of the sample. When the content of TiB₂ was 1%, the wear rate under different oil conditions (oil-rich, oilless, and dry friction) was reduced by 42–95%. The sharp decrease in the wear rate was attributed to the enhancement of the micrograin structure of the copper alloy matrix material by TiB₂ hard particles with antiwear properties and the high hardness and high wear resistance of TiB₂. The wear tracks were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and it was concluded that the addition of TiB₂ enhanced the wear resistance.

Keywords:

• TiB₂
• CuSn10Bi3
• powder metallurgy
• microstructure
• friction and wear

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51675509).