Friction and wear behavior of vacuum plasma-sprayed Ti-Zr-Ni quasicrystal coatings

This investigation deals with a study of the friction and wear behavior of vacuum plasma sprayed quasicrystal (QC) Ti41.5Zr41.5Ni17 coatings. During ball on disc experiments, a change in the mode of wear has been found to occur with corresponding changes in ball material, normal load and sliding velocity. The low thermal conductivity of quasicrystals and its brittleness play a vital role in determining the friction and wear behavior of such materials. When these coatings are subjected to rubbing for a longer period of time, wear occurs by subsurface crack propagation and subsequent delamination within the coated layer.