Friction and wear characteristics of WC–10Co–4Cr/Si3N4 tribopair lubricated under silt-laden water

This study has a specific focus on the tribological characteristics of the tribopair, which consists of high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying WC–10Co–4Cr coating and sintering Si3N4 with 5% SiC whisker, lubricated under the silt-laden water. The friction coefficient and abrasive wear rate were measured to evaluate the friction and wear characteristics under a range of test conditions, different loads and sliding velocities, using a disk-on-disk tribological tester. The micro morphology of the original and worn surfaces obtained by scanning electron microscope was used to analyze the tribological mechanism. The results show the excellent friction and abrasive wear resistance behaviors of this tribopair under silt-laden water lubricantion. When the rotary speed is up to 2000 r/min, the minimum friction coefficient is 0.0023 and the least wear rates of WC–10Co–4Cr coating and Si3N4 are 5.75×10−12 and 8.0×10−12 (cm3/(Nm)) respectively.