Abstract
Mesocarbon microbead–silicon carbide (MCMB–SiC) composites with 0–30 wt % MCMBs were prepared by pressureless sintering (PLS) method at 2200 °C in Ar. The microstructure and tribological properties of the prepared composites were investigated. The results show that there was a finer grain size of SiC with the increase in MCMB content because MCMBs hinder the growth of SiC grains. The hardness of the composites decreased with increasing MCMB content, whereas the fracture toughness fluctuated showing a complex trend. The tribological properties of the composites under dry friction conditions were evaluated using the pin-on-disk method against a SiC counterpart. We found that the tribological properties of the samples were influenced by the oxide film or lubricating film that formed during the wear process on wear surfaces. Different wear mechanisms were found to be associated with differing MCMB contents.
Highlights
Due to its good resistance against wear, radiation, and corrosion as well as its high-temperature capability and moderate strength, silicon carbide (SiC) is considered to be an excellent structural material and has been applied in many important industries [1,2,3], such as the nuclear and aerospace industries [4,5,6]
We found that finer SiC grains are observed with the increase in mesocarbon microbeads (MCMBs) content
The densities of the samples decrease with increasing MCMB contents, while, the fracture toughness of the samples fluctuate widely
Summary
Due to its good resistance against wear, radiation, and corrosion as well as its high-temperature capability and moderate strength, silicon carbide (SiC) is considered to be an excellent structural material and has been applied in many important industries [1,2,3], such as the nuclear and aerospace industries [4,5,6]. In addition to structural applications, SiC ceramic is preferred for tribological applications such as in mechanical seals and bearings [7] In these friction systems, dry friction or marginally lubricated situations may occur, which require the material to have improved tribological performance. Previous studies have revealed that when SiC ceramic is used as a mechanical sealing material to form self-matched friction pairs in water or oil, the friction coefficient (μ) is very low. As a new carbon source, mesocarbon microbeads (MCMBs) have recently attracted attention as an active electrode material in lithium and sodium cells due to their excellent electrochemical properties [15,16] Due to their good self-sintering ability, easy graphitization, and special structure—which is a regular sphere assembled by aromatic layers—MCMBs have been studied as precursors to graphite artifacts [17,18,19]. The wear mechanisms of the samples were discussed in detail
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