Tribological properties of Ni-17.5Si-29.3Cr alloy at room and elevated temperatures

The tribological properties of Ni-17.5Si-29.3Cr alloy against Si3N4 were studied on a ball-on-disc tribotester between room temperature and 1000 °C. The effects of temperature on the tribological properties of the alloy were investigated. The worn surfaces of the alloy were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that the tribological behavior of the alloy expressed some differences with increase in testing temperature. At low and moderate temperatures (below 800 °C), the alloy showed excellent wear and oxidation resistances, and the wear rate of the alloy remained in the magnitude of 10−5 mm3/Nm; but at elevated temperature (800–1000 °C), the wear and oxidation resistances decreased, and the wear rate of the alloy increased up to 10−4 mm3/Nm. The friction coefficient decreased from 0.58 to 0.46 with the rising of testing temperature from 20 to 600 °C, and then remained nearly constant. The wear mechanism of the alloy was mainly fracture and delamination at low and moderate temperatures, and transformed to adhesive and oxidation at elevated temperatures.