Effect of dry sliding wear conditions on a vacuum induction melted Ni alloy

The experiment described in this paper used vacuum induction melting (VIM) to coat Ni alloyNi alloy onto AISI 4140 steel. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to identify the different phases of VIM Ni alloyNi alloys. Then, a ball-on-disc system and different dry sliding wear conditions were used to test VIM Ni alloyNi alloys. Results indicate that Ni3Si particles were scattered inside the γ-Ni solid solution, Ni3B and dendrite Ni3Si appeared in the lamellar structures, and Cr7C3 and CrB were scattered in the lamellar structures of Ni3B and dendrite Ni3Si. Cr7C3 and CrB were more wear resistant compared to other phases. The wear loss of VIM Ni alloys was lower when the sliding velocity was 0.1 m/s compared to when the velocity was 0.7 m/s. In the former case, the formation of a continuous oxidation layer protected the original surface from direct wear. A further increase in sliding distance caused, in both the cases, the formation of tumorous oxides, which led to delamination. Regardless, wear loss at 0.1 m/s was still lower than at 0.7 m/s.