TRIBOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SIC CERAMICS IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE AND HIGH-PRESSURE WATER

The effects of temperature and sliding speed on the tribological behavior of a SiC ceramic by sliding on the same material in deoxygenated water were investigated from room temperature to 300-degrees-C under the corresponding saturated vapor pressures. The friction coefficient and specific wear rates of both plates and disks increased at elevated temperatures at all sliding speeds, but decreased with increasing sliding speed at 120-degrees and 300-degrees-C. Fine mirrorlike worn surfaces were observed without wear debris under all sliding conditions. The wear mechanism appears to consist of hydrothermal oxidation of SiC and dissolution of reaction products such as silica.