Friction and wear properties of (WAl)C–Co ceramic composites under sea water environment

In this paper, (WAl)C–Co/fluoride(CaF2, BaF2, CaF2/BaF2) self-lubricating ceramic composites were prepared by mechanical alloying and hot pressing sintering. The tribological behavior of the composite under sea water environment was evaluated. [(W0.67Al0.33)C0.67–10 wt% Co]/10 wt% CaF2 composite show a coefficient of friction of 0.15 and a wear rate of 1.3×10−5 mm3/(Nm) under 60 N at 0.067 m/s. Sea water play a key role on improve the tribological behavior of the composites through form Al2O3 and H2SiO3 (SiOx after wear) on the worn surface.