Effect of electrical current on tribological behavior of copper-impregnated metallized carbon against a Cu-Cr-Zr alloy

► Electrical current promotes the wear of Copper-impregnated metallized carbon. ► At a certain value of the applied load, the wear loss of Copper-impregnated metallized carbon was minimized. ► The tribo-layer plays an important role in electrical wear processes. ► The wear mechanisms consist of adhesive wear, abrasive wear and arc erosion wear.