The friction-wear behavior of Al2O3-TiC-Co advanced ceramic during in-situ SEM

The friction and wear properties of hot-pressed Al2O3-TiC-Co advanced ceramics (called ATC here), which have been made by use of Al2O3 and TiC powders chemically coated with a cobalt film, have been studied in this paper with the help of a pin-on-disk apparatus in a scanning election microscope. The experiments show that the friction behavior of ATC varies with different wear environments such as in air or in vacuum. Also the physical-chemistry changes at the wear interfaces have a great effect on the friction properties of the ceramics. The results also indicate that microcutting and brittle fracture are the dominant mechanisms in the wear damage of ATC materials. Powder-like and flake-like particles are the main types of wear debris during the wear process. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.