Wear and Friction of TiAl Matrix Self-Lubricating Composites against Si₃N₄in Air at Room and Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

More durable, low-friction bearing materials over a wide temperature range are needed for turbine components and other high-temperature bearing applications. The current study reported the tribological properties of TiAl matrix self-lubricating composites (TMC) containing MoS2 (a low-temperature lubricant, below 500°C), hBN (a medium-temperature lubricant, below 600°C), and Ti3SiC2 (a high-temperature lubricant, above 600°C) designated as MhT against an Si3N4 counterface at temperatures ranging from 25 to 800°C in air. The load was 10 N and the sliding speed was 0.2 m/s for all tests. Tribological studies indicated that TMC containing MhT showed a lower friction coefficient and wear rate in comparison to TiAl-based alloy at all test temperatures, which was attributed to the excellent synergetic lubricating effect of MoS2, hBN, and Ti3SiC2. TMC containing 5 wt% MhT exhibited the best tribological properties over a wide temperature range.