Dry Friction and Wear Characteristics of Rare-Earth/MoSi2 Composite

The dry friction and wear characteristics of rare earth/MoSi 2 composite against 45 steel under different loads were investigated by using an M 200 type friction and wear tester. SEM and XRD were used to analyze the morphology of the friction surface and the phase of worn piece in order to reveal the wear mechanism of rare earth/MoSi 2 composite. Results show that the relationships of friction coefficient, μ , or wear rate, W , of MoSi 2 and RE/MoSi 2 composite to loads, p , can be fitted well with the following function: μ (or W )= a+bp+cp 2+dp 3+ep 4 , where a, b, c, d and e are fitting constants depending on materials and confidence. MoSi 2 and rare earth/MoSi 2 composite have excellent wear resistance. When load is in the range of 80～120 N, the wear rate of RE/MoSi 2 composite is lower than that of MoSi 2 material by about 65%. The main wear mechanism of rare earth/MoSi 2 composite is adhesive wear.