THE ROLE OF TRIBOPARTICULATES IN DRY SLIDING WEAR

In this paper, wear processes and mechanisms for wear transitions with sliding time and temperature during sliding of a nickel-based alloy, N80A, in oxygen at temperatures to 250 degrees C are discussed. Transi tions in wear from high rates to low rates with sliding time were alwa ys observed at all the temperatures investigated. The transitions in w ear were usually accompanied by transitions in contact resistance betw een the rubbing surfaces from nearly zero to positive high values. It was found that wear debris particles were heavily involved in the wear processes. The transitions in wear and contact resistance with slidin g time mainly resulted from the development of wear-protective layers following the compaction of wear debris particles on the rubbing surfa ces. The adhesion of triboparticulates to each other and to the rubbin g surfaces played an important role in the rapid decrease in wear rate with sliding time and with increase in temperature. Processes involve d in the development of the wear-protective particle layers and mechan isms for the wear transitions have been described on the basis of expe rimental observations. The importance of triboparticulates in wear and its implications for wear protection are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.