Evaluating abrasive wear of amorphous alloys using nanoscratch technique

The hardness and elastic modulus of several Zr, Pd, Cu, and La-based amorphous alloys were investigated using nanoindentation. Abrasive wear of these alloys was also evaluated and compared using nanoscratch techniques under a ramping load. Damage caused by scratching was examined using SEM. Material pile-up took place in all scratched samples, but to different degrees. The scratched surface was observed to be significantly different for alloys with different compositions. A modified Archard equation was derived for the ramping load test. It was found that the wear resistance of amorphous alloys does not follow the classical Archard equation, i.e. the wear resistance is not linearly proportional to the hardness. This discrepancy was suggested to be a result of different wear mechanisms operating in different materials. The wear resistance of a Pd-based alloy was found to be independent of scratch speed.