An investigation of the tribological and nano-scratch behaviors of Fe–Ni–Cr alloy sintered by direct metal laser sintering

In this work, the friction and wear behavior of Fe–Ni–Cr alloy specimens processed by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) method was investigated by using a ball-on-disk reciprocating tribotester sliding against a hardened steel ball under dry sliding conditions. After DMLS, the specimens were further treated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) in order to reduce the porosity and to increase the density. Subsequently, one of the specimens was subjected to high-frequency ultrasonic peening (HFUP) with the aim to enhance the tribological properties. The microstructural characterization was conducted using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). In addition, nano-scratch tests were carried out on the specimens using a nano-scratch testing (NST) system. The friction and nano-scratch tests results showed that the HFUP-treated specimen led to a reduction in friction coefficient and wear rate, and an increase in resistance to scratch compared to that of the HFUP-free specimen, which may be attributed to the increase in hardness and the formation of corrugated structure.

► Fe–Ni–Cr alloy was sintered by direct metal laser sintering.
► HFUP technique was able to produce a hardened surface layer.
► HFUP-treated specimen showed better tribological and scratch properties.