Micro-scale Abrasion Research Articles

Cu-based thin rolled foils: relationship among alloy composition, micromechanical and antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2

The healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and pandemics caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) and new-generation pathogens threaten the whole world community. Cu and its alloys have been attracting widespread interest as anti-contamination materials due to the rapid inactivation of MDR-superbugs and viruses. Applying thin Cu-based foils on pre-existing surfaces in hygiene-sensitive areas represents a quick, simple, cost-effective self-sanitising practice. However, the influence of chemical composition and microstructure should be deeply investigated when evaluating the antimicrobial capability and durability of Cu-based materials. The effect of composition on micromechanical and antiviral properties was investigated by comparing Cu15Zn and Cu18Ni20Zn (foil thickness from 13 to 27 μm) with Phosphorous High-Conductivity (PHC) Cu. The influence of recrystallisation annealing of PHC Cu was also investigated. Microstructural characterisation was carried out by optical (OM) and scanning electron (FEG-SEM) microscopy, Energy-dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Electron-Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD). The micromechanical behaviour was assessed by microhardness, microscale abrasion and scratch tests. Cu-based foils were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 for different time points in quasi-dry conditions (artificial sweat solution), evaluating their antiviral capability by quantitative Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Surface morphology, contact angle measurements and Cu release were measured. All Cu-based surfaces completely inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in 10 min: pure Cu was the best option regarding antiviral efficiency, while Cu15Zn showed the best trade-off between micromechanical and antiviral properties.

Study on the Micro-Abrasion Wear Behavior of PVD Hard Coating under Different SiC Abrasive Particles/Distilled Water Ratios.

Microscale abrasion has been intensively used to study the wear behavior o several hard coatings, enabling the observation of different wear mechanisms. Recently, a study arguing whether the surface texture of the ball could influence the dynamics of abrasive particles throughout the contact was presented. In this work, the influence of the abrasive particles concentration able to change the texture of the ball was studied to understand its influence on the wear modes-rolling or grooving. Thus, tests were carried out using samples with a thin coating of TiN, deposited using the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) technique, and AISI 52100 steel balls etched over 60 s to induce a change in their texture and roughness were used. Three abrasive slurries were prepared with black silicon carbide (SiC) particles (average particle size of 4 μm) with different concentrations, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.45 g/cm3. The rotation speed used in the tests was 80 rpm and the normal loads applied in the study were 0.2 N and 0.5 N, and 1 N. After the wear tests, the coated samples and tracks on the surface of the balls were observed by SEM and 3D microscopy to understand the abrasive particle dynamics, evaluating the wear mode transition as well as the function of both applied load and slurry concentration. The tracks in the balls showed particles embedded on their surface. A lower concentration of abrasion was conducted to higher specific wear rate. Moreover, a predominant two-body wear mechanism was induced when the abrasive concentration was increased. There was an increase in the roughness of the scar and the surface of the balls with an increase in the abrasive particles' concentration.

Study on the Wear Modes of PVD Films Using Different Concentrations of Al2O3 Abrasive Particles and Textured Rotating Balls

Abrasive wear is a wear mechanism that results in a loss of material from the interaction of a surface with hard particles. This type of wear is frequently found in the surface of machining tools. Microscale abrasion equipment is often used to characterize the resistance to abrasive wear of a surface. The different parameters able to control micro-abrasion wear tests, such as ball rotation, sliding distance between ball and surface sample, abrasive slurry concentration, normal load acting on the sample, and abrasive flow rate over the sample, have been widely studied. The combination of different variables, including sliding distance, concentration of abrasive particles, their hardness, and size of abrasive particles, promotes the transition between two-body, three-body, or mixed abrasive wear modes. However, the influence of the ball surface on the dragging of abrasive particles, which is reflected in the wear modes, is still poorly studied. One of the variables possible to control and less studied is the influence of the ball surface texture on the dragging of abrasive particles in micro-abrasion wear tests. This work intends to correlate the effect of different testing times (500, 1000, and 1500 cycles) and different concentrations of 3 μm Al2O3 abrasive slurry (25, 35, and 45 g/100 mL) on the micro abrasion resistance of a TiN thin coating film, using balls of AISI 52100 steel whose texture and roughness were prepared by 60 s chemical etching. The rotation speed of each test was 80 rpm, applying a normal load of 2 N. Subsequently, the craters were carefully analyzed using SEM to evaluate the transition of the wear mode as a function of the applied load, the abrasive particle concentration, and the sliding distance. The textured ball tracks were observed via SEM to assess the particle dynamics. The results showed that, contrarily to what is reported in the literature regarding wear modes where rolling is promoted with increasing abrasive concentration, in this work grooving took place instead. This is a result of the rough balls use in the experiments which, due to the embedment of abrasive particles in the ball grooves, promotes the abrasion mechanism. The higher the abrasive concentration, the higher the grooving mechanism, since more particles are available to scratch the surface.

Abrasive Wear Resistance of High-Strength Compacted Graphite Iron under Microabrasion Conditions

Compacted graphite iron (CGI) has been considered an excellent option for heavy-duty engine blocks due to its superior mechanical properties, which allow reduction of weight, enhancing engine performance. Abrasion is a recognized wear mechanism in engine blocks, meaning it deserves to be evaluated for CGI. This study analyzed two grades of high-strength CGI (GJV450 and GJV500) submitted to microscale abrasion tests in free ball configuration using two different slurries: diamond and silica. There was more wear to the surfaces tested with silica due to the particle size, which was one order of magnitude larger than the diamond. The data obtained showed that both materials presented similar resistance when tests were performed with the diamond slurry. On the other hand, when silica was used, GJV500 presented 2.5 times greater wear resistance than GJV450, even though its global hardness was only 17% greater.

Wear Regimes of Fe–Cr–C Hardfacing Alloys in Microscale Abrasion Tests

Wear Regimes of Fe–Cr–C Hardfacing Alloys in Microscale Abrasion Tests

On the Use of Microscale Abrasion Test for Determining the Particle Abrasivity

Abstract Particle abrasivity is an important concept for helping to select materials for pumps and for disc cutters in underground excavation, and specific ASTM standards are available for making these selections. However, for manufacturing processes in which abrasive action is their core, the particle size range is approximately a few micrometers. The evaluation of particle abrasivity using the microscale abrasion test matches this range of particles for this purpose, but relatively few investigations using this kind of method have been conducted. The aim of this investigation is to use the microscale abrasion test to evaluate the particle abrasivity, avoiding changes on the ball surface and on the particle size distribution. Samples of quenched AISI D2 tool steel were used for tests. The wear mode was dependent on the testing time. Alumina (Al2O3) particles presented a lower abrasiveness when compared to boron carbide (B4C) ones, confirmed by the higher wear coefficient found in the latter after reaching the steady-state regime. This behavior was evidenced by the number of active particles in the contact, which showed that there were a larger number of B4C particles than Al2O3 during the contact at all sliding distances. The particle abrasivity is discussed in terms of significant characteristics of slurries: particle shape, particle size distribution, hardness-to-elastic modulus ratio, zeta potential, and density. As the controlling of those characteristics seems to be very important, particle abrasivity is a concept that needs to be improved besides the test system used for that purpose.

The effect of plasma nitriding on the synergism between wear and corrosion of SAF 2205 duplex stainless steel

PurposeThis study aims to assess the performance of SAF 2205 duplex stainless steel against pure wear, tribo-corrosion, corrosion and the synergism between wear and corrosion. The effect of plasma nitriding conducted at low temperature (380°C) on SAF 2205 steel was analyzed.Design/methodology/approachThree systems were used for assessing the synergism between wear and corrosion: tribo-corrosion – wear tests conducted using the micro-scale abrasion test, performed under a slurry of alumina particles containing 3.5% NaCl; pure wear – tests conducted using the previous system but isolated in a glovebox with a 99% N2 atmosphere; and cyclic polarization under 3.5% NaCl solution. A hard nitrided layer of 3 µm thickness was characterized using X-ray diffraction, presenting expanded austenite.FindingsThe wear mode after micro-scale abrasion tests changed in the absence of an oxygen atmosphere. During pure wear, a mixed mode was identified (rolling + grooving), with the grooving mode more intense for the untreated steel. For tribo-corrosion tests, only rolling wear was identified. For all cases, the nitrided samples presented less wear. The corrosion results indicated a higher repassivation potential for the nitrided condition.Practical implicationsThe synergism was more positive for the nitrided sample than for the untreated one, which can be considered for surface treatments of duplex stainless steels in practical applications.Originality/valueA detailed description of wear mechanisms showed a significant change in the presence of oxygen atmosphere, a new approach for isolating pure wear.

Micro-scale abrasion and sliding wear of zirconium-lithium silicate glass-ceramic and polymer-infiltrated ceramic network used in dentistry

The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the micro-scale abrasion and sliding wear behavior of a zirconium-lithium silicate (ZLS) glass-ceramic and a polymer-infiltrated ceramic network used in dentistry. Samples were assessed on a reciprocating ball-on-plate tribometer at 30 N normal load, 1 Hz and stroke length of 2 mm. The wear sliding tests were carried out against an alumina ball in artificial saliva at 37 °C. Also, micro-scale abrasion tests were performed in the presence of abrasive particles to simulate three-body abrasion conditions. The micro-scale abrasion tests were performed at 60 rpm on 0.8 N normal load for 600 revolutions of a stainless-steel ball in contact with a suspension of hydrated silica particles. After wear tests, the worn surfaces were inspected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Abrasion was the main wear mechanism found during the tests. However, the hybrid ceramic revealed an unstable adhesive tribo-layer, associated with a delamination process. The wear volume mean values recorded after the micro-abrasion tests were significantly higher for the polymer infiltrated ceramic network (~1.44 x10-1 mm3) than those for the ZLS glass-ceramic (~9.89 x10-2 mm3). Also, the mean values of specific sliding wear rate were higher for the polymer-infiltrated ceramic network (~5.33 x10-5 mm3/N.m) than those for the ZLS glass-ceramic ZL(~3.17 x10-5 mm3/N.m). For all test conditions, zirconium-lithium glass-ceramic revealed higher wear resistance and lower friction coefficient when compared to the polymer-infiltrated ceramic network. The findings indicated a less damage of glass-ceramics in comparison to polymer-matrix composites on sliding loading or micro-scale abrasion that can occur during the masticatory process.

Machinability Study of Hardened 1045 Steel When Milling with Ceramic Cutting Inserts.

Intermittent machining using ceramic tools such as hard milling is a challenging task due to the severe mechanical shock that the inserts undergo during machining and the brittleness of ceramic inserts. This study investigates the machinability of hardened steel AISI 1045 during face milling using SiAlON and whisker (SiCW) based ceramic inserts. The main focus seeks to identify the effects of cutting parameters, milling configuration, edge preparation and work material hardness on machinability indicators such as resultant cutting force, power consumption and flank tool wear. The effects of these varying cutting conditions on performance characteristics were investigated using a Taguchi orthogonal array design L32 (21 44) and evaluated using ANOVA. Results indicate lower resultant cutting forces were recorded with honed edge inserts of SiAlON ceramic grade. In addition, a decrease in resultant cutting forces was associated with reduced feed rates and increased hardness. The feed rate and cutting speed were also identified as the greatest influencing factors in the amount of cutting power. The main wear mechanisms responsible for flank wear on the ceramic inserts are micro-scale abrasion and micro-chipping. Increased flank wear was observed at low cutting speed and high feed rates, while micro-chipping mostly ensued from the cyclic loading of the radial tool edge form, which is more susceptible to impact fragmentation. Thus, the use of tools with chamfered tool-edge preparation greatly improved observed wear values. Additional confirmation tests were also conducted to validate the results of the tests.

Micro-abrasive wear resistance of the duplex expanded austenite layer phases produced by plasma nitrocarburizing

The present study investigates the influence of the phases of the duplex expanded austenite layer on the micro-abrasive wear resistance of the plasma nitrocarburized AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel. Plasma nitrocarburizing was performed by using a gaseous atmosphere containing 80% N2 + 2% CH4 + 18% H2, producing precipitate-free duplex expanded austenite layers (γN+γC) at 375 °C and 430 °C, composite layer (γN+γC + Fe3N-ε + CrN) at 475 °C and nitride layer (Fe4N-γ’ + CrN) at 555 °C. Each phase of duplex expanded austenite layer was produced in separate gaseous atmospheres at 375 °C, carbon expanded austenite monolayer (γC) in 2% CH4 + 98% H2 and nitrogen expanded austenite monolayer (γN) in 80% N2 + 20% H2. The abrasive wear behavior was measured in a free ball micro-scale abrasion tester with fine-particle abrasive slurry of SiO2 which allowed to evaluate wear resistance and wear mechanism of the produced layers. The results showed that the thicker duplex expanded austenite layer which was precipitate-free (γN+γC), produced at 430 °C, displayed the highest wear resistance. From analyses of the individual monolayers, two wear mechanisms were found: two-body abrasion related to the nitrogen-rich phase (γN) and three-body abrasion associated to the carbon-rich phase (γC).

Fe based (W,Ti)C EAS and WC-12Co HVOF sprayed coatings: microstructure, mechanical properties and micro-scale abrasion performance

The application of cermet material coatings deposited by thermal spray techniques such as high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) has not ceased expanding to many industrial fields, especially for protection of mechanical components and industrial parts against wear and corrosion. Recently, electric arc spray process (EAS), using cored wire as feed-stock, has been considered a step over HVOF technology thanks to its low effective cost and high deposition rate. In this work, the microstructure, hardness and abrasive wear performance of FeCrNiSiB-(W,Ti)C coatings deposited by EAS were compared with WC-12Co coating deposited by HVOF process. The microstructure of the feed stock material and deposited coatings as well as the mechanical properties of the deposited coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM/EDAX), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro-hardness measurements. The tribological properties were evaluated at room temperature in a micro-scale abrasion device. As expected, coatings exhibited different morphologies, i.e. WC-12Co HVOF coating displayed a more homogeneous and dense microstructure, with low degree of carbide decomposition; whilst, FeCrNiSiB-(W,Ti)C EAS coatings showed an heterogeneous microstructure with more pronounced phase transformation. W-C phase on the EAS coating was dissolved in the metallic matrix which leads to the formation of new and complex carbides. The wear rate of Fe based EAS coatings was just 1.9 times higher than the one of HVOF coating. Despite of this, Fe based-(W,Ti)C EAS coating offers a potential solution for surface protection of parts as compared to HVOF coating, due to the lower production costs of the former.

Investigation of the wear of engine journal bearings approaching severe lubrication conditions using a microabrasion tester

Ideally, engine journal bearings are expected to operate under hydrodynamic lubrication regime to limit wear and promote minimal friction by sliding. Nevertheless, engine journal bearings fail since wear caused by severe conditions in actual engine operation, such as start/stop, misalignment, lubricant degradation, overheating, and debris contamination, producing a transition from hydrodynamic to mixed and boundary lubrication regimes and wear increased in both engine journal bearings and crankshaft. Thus, this work aims to study the influence of boundary lubrication, engine mineral oil aging, and debris contamination on wear of engine journal bearings. An adapted microscale abrasion tester using a ball-on-concave flat configuration was used to reproduce boundary lubrication under controlled conditions. Steel balls having a similar surface than crankshafts and concave flat samples cut from actual engine journal bearings were tested. The tests were run under boundary lubrication at a constant load, speed, and sliding distance at 26 ℃ and 100 ℃ using separately clean fresh and aged engine mineral oil, and then, tests were conducted using the oils contaminated with hard abrasive particles. The engine mineral oil was degraded by a laboratory aging process approaching oxidation of an engine mineral oil used in actual use conditions. Oxidation, additives depletion and changes in viscosity were evaluated. The wear volumes and scar morphologies of engine journal bearing samples were analyzed. The results suggested that high temperature was the main contributor for wear increase in engine journal bearings, while oil aging and debris did not influence considerably on the wear. However, the oils contaminated with hard particles produced a wear decrease in engine journal bearing samples but increased wear in rotary balls.

Microstructure and mechanical behavior of 316L liquid phase sintered stainless steel with boron addition

This work focuses on the role of boron as a sintering additive in powder metallurgy processing of the AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel. Boron effect was investigated regarding densification, microstructure, hardness and micro-scale abrasion resistance. Samples were prepared with 0.6 wt% and 0.8 wt% of boron and sintered at 1240 °C. The microstructure of the sintered bodies was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the behavior of both the free and boron-containing 316L samples at solid and liquid states. The hardness of austenitic matrix and precipitated borides was determined by instrumented indentation tests. EDS and XRD results revealed the formation of M23(B,C)6 carboboride and hard M2B borides, which were concentrated mainly in intergranular sites. The formation of M2B borides favored material densification through the development of a liquid phase during sintering, promoting an increase in density, hardness and micro-scale abrasion resistance of the AISI 316L steel.

Micro-scale abrasion wear of novel biomedical PEEK-matrix composites for restorative dentistry

Novel PEEK-based composites have been studied to replace metallic biomedical implant and prostheses although the influence of aggressive oral conditions should be understood such as wear in the presence of toothpaste abrasive particles. The main aim of this study was to assess the micro-abrasion performance of novel PEEK-based composites embedding biocompatible inorganic fillers composed of (LZSA) lithium-silicate glass ceramic or (NASF) natural silica fibers. PEEK powders were mixed with 10 and 30 wt% LZSA or NASF to produce composite structures by using hot pressing technique. After polishing and cleaning procedures, test surfaces were assessed by micro-scale abrasion tests at on 0.8 N at 600 ball revolutions in contact with an abrasive suspension of 6 wt% amorphous silica particles with mean size at 8–10 μm. The worn and unworn surfaces were inspected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical profilometry. SEM images revealed aligned abrasion grooves on all the test surfaces. The largest damaged area was noticed on PEEK free of inorganic fillers while the lowest micro-abrasion damage was recorded on PEEK embedding 10%LZSA. The micro-abrasion resistance of PEEK-LZSA composites was negatively affected by the increase of inorganic content as seen on 30%LZSA. However, PEEK-based composites showed a higher micro-abrasion wear resistance than that on non-reinforced PEEK. The wear resistance can be enhanced by adding an adequate content and shape of inorganic fillers. Further studies should investigate the effect of morphology and properties of inorganic fillers to improve the wear performance of PEEK-based composites.

Micro-scale abrasive wear of some sealing elastomers

This work aims to investigate the micro-abrasive wear of some common sealing elastomers by the micro-scale abrasion test. It has been employed to try hard materials, such as: mild steel, Cr-white cast iron, aluminum alloys, tool steel, polymers, etc, since it exhibits good accuracy and repeatability, however, it has not been implemented to test elastomers. In dynamic seals, micro-abrasive wear is produced because hard micro-debris are dragged by the lubricant film to the sealing interface during the machine operation, which accelerates the normal lubricated sliding wear. In order to see the capability of the micro-abrasion test to evaluate sealing elastomers, four materials were tried under different loads and progressive sliding distances using a TE66 micro-scale abrasion tester. The morphology of the wear scars was studied by SEM images. Hence, particular micro-abrasive wear patterns were found. Also, the wear volumes were assessed by optical profilometry since some scars did not met spherical caps as those occurred in hard materials. Thus, the test was effective to reproduce localized and consistent scars with micro-abrasion features by conducting short experiments, meaning it could be potentially used as an accelerated wear method for the characterization of sealing elastomers.

Wear evaluation of journal bearings using an adapted micro-scale abrasion tester

To determine the wear resistance of journal bearings (JB′s) under lubricated condition, this paper aims to provide an alternative method using an adapted TE-66 micro-scale abrasion tester which was adapted to generate accelerated lubricated wear on actual JB′s. Two actual JB′s with different coatings were investigated. The load (in the range 1–3N) and sliding distance (in the range 39.9–797.7m) were varied to see the wear progression. The wear scars were assessed by SEM and optical profilometry, which exhibited the common abrasive and adhesive mechanisms of actual JB′s. In the paper, test procedures and wear behaviors were analyzed in detail. Thus, according to the coatings from the JB′s characterized, the wear resistances found were: 9.06E+13N/m2 for Pb–Cu–Al, 1.02E+15N/m2 for Cu–Al, and 1.33E+14N/m2 for Sn–Al–Si. Finally, the tester demonstrated good adaptability to reproduce accelerated lubricated wear in JB′s.

Abrasive wear study of an acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) rotary seal in dry and muddy contact using a micro-abrasion tester

Rotary dynamic seals are widely used in machinery in order to retain fluids and to exclude external contaminants by allowing the free shaft movement. One of the most recurrent failure of seals is caused by abrasive wear under prolonged sliding contact. It is mainly produced either by partial dry running (two-body abrasion) and/or by interacting with abrasive hard fine particles, which are immersed in the fluids generating three-body abrasive wear. This work aims to study both types of abrasion using a micro-scale abrasion tester. For this, small samples were extracted from an Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) lip of an actual dynamic seal. The testing was conducted in dry contact to generate two-body abrasive wear, as well as in a wet/muddy environment in order to reproduce three-body abrasion. The load was selected in order to approach the actual mean contact pressure of seals against rotary shafts. Hence, a stress relaxation test of the NBR samples was carried out to characterize the viscoelastic behavior. The wear scar morphologies and wear progression were analyzed in detail by optical microscopy, SEM analysis and optical profilometry. Finally, the experimental test was suitable to reproduce two-body and three-body abrasion on the samples since the particular wear patterns on small wear scars were obtained by short experiments.

Abrasive and sliding wear of resin composites for dental restorations

The aim of this work was to study the abrasive and reciprocating sliding wear resistance of four commercial resin composites for dental restorations. Resin composite samples were divided into four groups considering the different materials and then separated for compressive, abrasive and sliding tests (n=10). Micro-abrasion tests were performed against a stainless steel rotating ball on 3N normal load for 300 revolutions in the presence of a suspension containing a commercial whitening and abrasive toothpaste. Reciprocating sliding ball-on-plate friction tests were performed against an alumina ball on 20N normal load at 1Hz in the presence of artificial saliva at 37°C for 30min. The wear volume was evaluated for the different groups of resin composites and correlated with their mechanical properties and inorganic composition in terms of size and volume percentage of filler particles. Resin composites with high volume content of inorganic fillers (82wt%) consisting of micro particles (0.1–2.5μm) combined with small nanoparticles (20–60nm) revealed the most proper mechanical and tribological response. The dominant wear mechanisms consisted on fine micro-scale abrasion for abrasion tests and surface fatigue and abrasion for reciprocating sliding tests.

Experimental method for wear assessment of sealing elastomers

Elastomeric dynamic seals are components to prevent or to limit lubricant leakage in machinery. Nevertheless, they wear away under certain working conditions. Mostly, wear exists by starvation of lubricant film (two-body abrasion) and interaction with hard debris (three-body abrasion). This work aims to propose a suitable test methodology toward determining two-body and three-body abrasive wear rates of elastomers by using a TE66 Micro-Scale Abrasion Tester. In the tests, sections of silicone rubber were used. The experiments were divided in two parts. Firstly, dry runs were carried out replicating the two–body abrasion mechanism. Secondly, trials were run using two different media (contaminated oil and slurry) to reproduce three-body abrasive wear. Large viscoelastic deformations were generated in the samples and then they were considered for the wear estimation. In conclusion, the method shows advantages which make it suitable as an alternative test to obtain the wear behavior of sealing elastomers.

Comparison between PEEK and Ti6Al4V concerning micro-scale abrasion wear on dental applications

In the oral cavity, abrasive wear is predictable at exposed tooth or restorative surfaces, during mastication and tooth brushing. Also, wear can occur at contacting surfaces between the Ti-based prosthetic structures and implants in presence of abrasive compounds from food or toothpaste. Thus, the aim of this work was to compare the abrasive wear resistance of PEEK and Ti6Al4V on three-body abrasion related to different hydrated silica content and loads. Surfaces of Ti6Al4V or PEEK cylinders (8mm diameter and 4mm height) were wet ground on SiC papers and then polished with 1µm diamond paste. After that, surfaces were ultrasonically cleaned in propyl alcohol for 15min and then in distilled water for 10min. Micro-scale abrasion tests were performed at 60rpm and on different normal loads (0.4, 0.8 or 1.2N) after 600 ball revolutions using suspensions with different weight contents of hydrated silica. After abrasive tests, wear scars on flat samples were measured to quantify the wear volume and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) to identify the dominant wear mechanisms. Results showed a higher volume loss rate on PEEK than that recorded on Ti6Al4V, when subjected to three-body abrasion tests involving hydrated silica suspensions. An increase in volume loss was noted on both tested materials when the abrasive content or load was increased. PEEK was characterized by less wear resistance than that on Ti6Al4V after micro-scale abrasion wear in contact with hydrated silica particles, as commonly found in toothpastes.