Dry friction and wear characteristics Of MOSi2 against alloy steels

The dry friction and wear characteristics of three kinds of friction couples under different loads, MoSi2/45 tempered steel, MoSi2/45 quenched steel, and MoSi2/CrWMn steel, were investigated by using a friction and wear tester. SEM and X-ray diffraction were employed to analyze the microphotograph of the worm surface and the phase of worn pieces in order to reveal the wear mechanisms of MoSi2 material. The results show that MoSi2/CrWMn steel friction pair has good dry friction and wear properties under the load of 80 N, where the friction coefficient is 0.255 and the wear rate of MoSi2 is only 14.72 mg center dot km(-1). But under the load of 150 N, it is MoSi2/45 tempered steel friction pair that has good tribological properties, where the friction coefficient is 0.278 and the wear rate of MoSi2 is only 10.6 mg center dot km(-1). The main wear mechanism of MoSi2 under low loads is brittle fracture. With the increase of load, the main wear mechanism of MoSi2 against 45 quenched steel or CrWMn steel is adhesive wear. However, the wear mechanism of MoSi2 against 45 tempered steel is changed from oxidation-fatigue wear to adhesive wear.