Friction and Wear Behavior of Al₂O₃/TiC Ceramic Tool Material at Elevated Temperature

Friction and wear of Al₂O₃/TiC ceramic tool material at temperature ranging from 200 ℃ to 600 ℃ were investigated on a ball-on-disc tribometer. The results showed that the friction coefficient first increased with the increasing temperature and then dropped at 600 ℃. The friction coefficient ranged from 0.1 to 0.4. The specific wear rate increased with the increasing temperature and decreased with the increasing sliding velocity. Large scene depth microscope, scanning electronic microscope and white light interferometer were adopted to observe the profile and micro-morphology of the worn surface of specimens. Transfer can be observed on the edge of the wear track at high temperature. The main wear mechanism was surface fracture and grain spalling.