Tribochemical Adaptation of Additively Grown Alloy “Stainless Steel—Copper” under Unlubricated Sliding Conditions with Passing Electric Current

Multicomponent stainless steel and copper (SS/Cu) alloys were produced using dual wire-feed electron beam additive manufacturing added with 50 vol. % stainless steel. Tribotechnical pin-on-disk tests under conditions of dry friction were conducted at a sliding speed of 5 m/s and a contact stress of 0.13 MPa (1.17 N) with and without passing electric current via specimens oriented with the grown layers parallel and perpendicular to the worn surfaces. Upward dependences of wear and downward dependences of friction coefficient on electric current power were obtained. It was found that sliding at low electrical power up to 40 W is similar to the unlubricated sliding with-out passing the current ion, characterized by adhesive wear and the formation of a material transfer layer. Passing electric current at a power above 40 W led to a transition from an adhesive wear mechanism with triboxidation elements to an adhesive with intensive transfer of material to form smooth transport layers containing oxides (spinels). The obtained relationships did not reveal differences related to the orientation of the grown layers of the sample relative to the friction surface. It was concluded that spinel formation is associated with the mechanism of tribochemical adaptation of the SS–Cu system to load conditions. The results of the study represent an important step in the development of tribocomposites based on heterogeneous materials for power equipment (bearings of heavy-duty electrical machines) and electronics (heat-removing elements with a wear-resistant coating).

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