Sliding wear behavior of Al2O3-NbC composites obtained by conventional and nonconventional techniques

This study aims to investigate the dry sliding wear behavior of Al2O3-5vol%NbC nanocomposite sintered by conventional and spark plasma sintering at temperatures from 1450 to 1600 °C. The tests were performed using WC-6 wt%Co balls as a counterpart material, a load of 30 and 60 N, a sliding distance of 2000 m and a sliding speed of 0.1 m/s. The consolidation techniques influenced the friction coefficient, wear rates and patterns. Samples tested at 30 N showed better wear resistance than the samples tests with 60 N. The nanocomposites obtained by SPS at 1500 °C exhibited a lower friction coefficient and wear rate compared to all other materials. The results indicated that Al2O3-NbC nanocomposites show promise as material for cutting tool applications.