Abstract: Mo/Al₂O₃ composites with various compositions were sintered under pressureless conditions. The wear behavior and wear mechanism of Mo/Al₂O₃ composites were studied. Results indicated that the wear rates initially increased with the increasing volume fraction of Mo. At 30% to 60%, the wear rates decreased as the volume fraction of Mo increased. A marked increment in wear rate can be found as the volume fraction increased from 60% to 70%. At 10% and 20%, the friction coefficients were low. The composites exhibited good wear resistance when the volume fraction of Mo was higher than 60% and Mo or Mo/Al₂O₃ was continuous. The wear mechanisms were brittle break off for composites with low Mo fraction, and abrasive wear for composites with high Mo fraction.

Key words: molybdenum, alumina, wear rate, wear resistance, wear mechanisms

Author: Chang Chun, Associate Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China

E- mail: changchun@sdu.edu.cn

Tribology, Vol. 29, Issue 5, 2009, 442-446.