Abstract:
A high-performance self-lubrication friction plate is one of the critical components to support the nuclear reactor primary equipment, the operation service environment is under hard conditions frequently, such as elevated temperatures, heavy loads, slow sliding motions, exposure to radiation and so on. The general performance of friction plate will be closely related with the safety of the reactors’ primary equipment. Based on this, in this study, FeCrAlY-
xTiC (where
x ranges from 15% to 35%) friction plate materials were prepared using powder metallurgy technology. The phase compositions, microstructure, mechanical properties and the tribological properties of FeCrAlY-
xTiCfriction plate materials under simulated service conditions were investigated in detail. The possibility of its application as the structural and functional material in the supporting system of the reactor equipment was explored. The results indicated that: 1) FeCrAlY-
xTiC composites were composed of Fe-Cr, FeAl and Fe
2AlCr alloy phases, along with a TiC reinforcement phase, and TiC was uniformly distributed throughout the ferroalloy matrix. In the meantime, the increased content of TiC reinforcement phase would be beneficial to eliminate the possibility of the anisotropy with material strength; 2) The Vickers hardness and compressive strength of FeCrAlY-
xTiC composites were in the range of 3.4~5.6 GPa and 1 127~1 148 MPa, respectively, while the flexural strength and tensile strength of FeCrAlY-
xTiC composites were in the range of 331~709 MPa and 183~340 MPa, respectively; 3) FeCrAlY-
xTiC composites demonstrated the stable friction coefficients when subjected to high load and low-speed friction conditions. Combining mechanical properties and tribological properties, the optimized mass fraction of TiC was determined to be 35%. When the mass fraction of TiC was 35%, the friction coefficient at room temperature, 300 ℃ and during the dynamic heating process from room temperature to 300 ℃ were in the range of 0.3~0.4. The wear rate of FeCrAlY-
xTiC composites was approximately 1×10
−5~3×10
−5 mm
3/(N·m). The wear mechanisms were mainly abrasive wear and slight oxidation wear. The optimized FeCrAlY-35%TiC composite possessed unique comprehensive properties, including a stable friction coefficient and reduced wear rate across a broad temperature range. FeCrAlY-35%TiC composite could be used as the interface base material for the friction plate that supported the primary equipment of the reactor in engineering applications.