Effect of Tribofilm Induced by Nanoparticle Addition on Wear Behavior of Titanium-Matrix Composite

Abstract

Sliding wear tests of a titanium-matrix composite (TMC) against M35 steel were performed at room temperature. To improve the wear performance of the TMC, an attempt was made to induce a protective tribofilm by artificially supplying nanoscale materials, viz. multilayer graphene (MLG), Fe2O3, and their composite and mixture, onto the sliding tracks. Irrespective of the load, MLG or Fe2O3 additives could hardly improve the wear performance of the TMC because of a lack of load-bearing or lubricant capacity. However, the MLG/Fe2O3 nanocomposite and MLG + Fe2O3 mechanical mixture could effectively improve the wear performance. Interestingly, a critical load existed, at or below which extremely low wear loss and friction coefficient were obtained, which can be attributed to the formation of a protective tribofilm.