Tribological behaviour of sintered 316L stainless steel impregnated with MoS2 plain bearing

The mechanical and tribological properties of sintered 316L stainless steel impregnated with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) were investigated. Tests were carried out at room temperature for two specific ranges of PV value (1.1 and 1.8 MPa m/s). The results prove that the friction coefficient and the wear are strongly influenced by the addition level of MoS2. In this paper, MoS2 powder was mixed with 316L powder before being processed via compacting and sintering steps. The microstructure, hardness, tensile strength and elongation at breaking point of the sintered specimens were evaluated. The friction and wear properties of the materials were examined by a partial plain bearing wear test rig under dry conditions at room temperature and in air. Although some of mechanical properties of the composite decreased with increasing MoS2 amount, the MoS2 was very effective in reducing the friction and wear of the composites. Particularly, the sintered 316L–15% MoS2 materials at 1.1 PV value showed a reduction of friction coefficient by approximately 20–25% when compared to the sintered 316L specimen without addition of MoS2. In addition, wear of specimen with addition of MoS2 was also reduced to some extent (5–10% weight loss reduction) at this specific PV value.