Wear Behavior of a NiCr/AgVO3 Self-Lubricating Composite

NiCr/AgVO3 self-lubricating composite was prepared by powder cold-pressed method with the NiCr alloy as the matrix and 10 wt.% additive of AgVO3 as solid lubricant. The AgVO3 additive powder was synthesized by the precipitation method which exhibits a melting point of 460℃. Microstructure, phase composition and thermal properties of the AgVO3 powder, as well as the composite of NiCr/AgVO3 were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC）. The friction and wear behavior of the specimens from room temperature （R.T.） to 800℃ was evaluated using a ball-on-disk tribometer and 3D white light interference （WLI）. The results showed that the friction coefficient of this material under atmosphere decreases with temperature increasing from R.T. to 800 ~C. However, the wear rate firstly increases from R.T. to 200℃, almost remains stable from 200℃ to 600℃, and then decreases with further increasing the temperature up to 800 ℃. It is also found that the prepared composite materials show a better frictional behavior than NiCr alloy over the whole range of temperatures, which is mainly attributed to solid lubrication of AgVO3 exhibiting a lamella-slip structure at temperatures below 460℃ and forms liquid-film at elevated temperatures above the melting point.