Abstract:
Fe
3Al based composites with 10%, 20% and 30% WS
2 by weight percent were produced by hot press sintering method. The composition and structures of samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy The tribological properties of samples were tested under 4×10
-4 Pa vacuum using a home-built vacuum tribometer. The results show that the addition of WS
2 could obviously decrease the friction coefficient of Fe
3Al intermetallic, and the friction coefficient of the composites was nearly independent of the WS
2 content from 10% to 30%. The wear rate decreased gradually with increasing WS
2 amount. Impressively, the wear rate of the Fe
3Al-30%WS
2 composite was about one order of magnitude lower as compared to that of the Fe
3Al intermetallic. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the composites were influenced by applied load and sliding speed. The worn surfaces of the Fe
3Al intermetallic were rough with a lot of delamination pits and traces, which was characteristic of severe fatigue wear. The wear mechanism of the Fe
3Al-10%WS
2 composite was abrasive wear and fatigue wear. The Fe
3Al-20%WS
2 and Fe
3Al-30%WS
2 composites demonstrated smooth worn surface with appearance of mild fatigue wear. It could be concluded that the addition of WS
2 to Fe
3Al could improve the tribological performance under vacuum.