High-Temperature Tribological Performance of TiSiC/TiAl Self-Lubricating Composite Against SiN in Air.

More durable, low-friction bearing materials are needed for turbine components and other high-temperature bearing applications. The current study presents the sliding friction and wear behavior of a TiSiC/TiAl composite (TTC) against a SiN counterface at temperatures ranging from 25 to 800 °C in air. The load was 10N, and the sliding speed was 0.2 m/s for all tests. The friction coefficient of both the TiAl and the TTC composite increased with rising temperature up to 400 °C, but beyond that, the friction coefficient of the TTC decreased, making it more lubricative than TiAl at the higher temperatures. It is proposed that at high-temperatures, TiSiC-formed oxides that were incorporated into a well-consolidated tribo-film drastically reducing the friction coefficients and wear rates of the TTC material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]