Preparation of Al2O3/W-Cr composite and its tribology properties

Abstract

Abstract Microstructure and its formation process as well as tribology properties of Al2O3/W-Cr composite prepared by sol-gel and powder metallurgy method were studied in this paper. Results show that the Al2O3 particles can be distributed uniformly in the mixed powders of W-Cr by sol-gel method, and metallurgical bonding between W and Al2O3 particles can also be realized by the bonding action of Cr particles. The wear rate of Al2O3/W-Cr composite increases with the increase of testing load, but the friction coefficient increases firstly and then decreases. When the testing load is 15 N, the friction coefficient reaches the peak value. Wear mechanism of Al2O3/W-Cr composite is dominated by abrasive wear at lower testing loads, but transfer to adhesive wear accompanied with oxidation at high testing loads.