Reciprocating sliding friction and wear behavior of electrical discharge machined zirconia-based composites against WC–Co cemented carbide

The tribological characteristics of hot pressed zirconia-based composites containing 40 vol.% of WC, TiC0.5N0.5 or TiN and surface finished by electrical discharge machining (EDM) were evaluated by performing linearly reciprocating pin-on-flat sliding experiments against WC–Co cemented carbide under unlubricated conditions. The wear tests were executed on a Plint TE77 tribometer using normal contact loads of 15 N up to 35 N and a sliding velocity of 0.3 m/s. The ZrO2-40 vol.% WC grade displayed an undoubtedly better wear resistance compared to the ZrO2-40 vol.% TiCN and ZrO2-40 vol.% TiN composites. The morphology of the worn surfaces and the wear debris was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), revealing several wear mechanisms such as polishing and abrasion, mainly depending on the imposed contact load and the material composition.