Investigation of Wear Performance of Al2O3 Ceramic Coating Under Dry and Aqueous Conditions
Y. Kucuk Mustafa Sabri Gök Mecit Oge
AbstractIn this research Al2O3 (Metco 130SF) powder was deposited on AISI 420 stainless streel substrates using Atmosperic Plasma Spray (APS) technique. Wear tests were performed on a ball-on-disc wear testing rig (Turkyus brand) to evaluate the dry and aqueous adhesive wear behaviors of the obtained coatings. Test parameters were specified as 7N load and 0.08 m/s sliding speed. The SEM micrographs of the wear track surface and friction coefficients were used in the analysis of the coating’s wear behavior. Additionally, volumetric mass loss calculations were conducted using a 3D optical profilometer. Friction coefficients were respectively found as 0.7 and 0.35 for dry and aqueous conditions, indicating a nearly 50% reduction in the latter case. The decline in worn volume values was also in proportion with the decline in friction coefficient. The comparison of dry and aqueous environment SEM micrographs show that, tribological layer formation occurred at a reduced level in water, which is attributed to the increase in local heat transfer. Also, surface cracks are more apparent under dry conditions, whereas radial crack formations are observed nearby the edges of the wear track under aqueous conditions.