Tribological Characteristics of BrAMts9-2/W Composites Prepared by Friction Stir Processing

The microstructure, phase composition, mechanical and tribological properties of composites with a BrAMts9-2 bronze matrix, reinforced with tungsten particles have been studied Samples with 0, 5, 10 and 15 vol. % of W particles were obtained by friction stir processing (FSP). It was shown that as a result of multi-pass FSP of tungsten-containing samples, a composite structure is formed from a multiphase bronze matrix consisting of α-Cu solid solution, intermetallic β-Cu3Al and γ2-Al4Cu9 as well as uniformly distributed reinforcement tungsten particles. During tribological tests, all samples demonstrated similar values of coefficient of friction in the range of 0.33—0.39. The wear rate values of composites reinforced with W were significantly lower than those of samples without W. The minimum wear intensity values were obtained on BrAMts9-2/5% W samples. The tribooxidation effect in tungsten-containing samples was accompanied by the formation of the κ-phase of Al2O3 due to the oxidation of the metastable phase γ-Al4Cu9. The resulting composites can be used to fabricate moving parts of machines and devices, high-voltage electrical contacts, heat-removal elements, and many other practical applications.

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