Tribological properties and wear mechanisms of WC-ZrO2-Al2O3-GNPs ceramics against typical counterparts

• Published in: Wear 2025-03, Vol.564-565, p.205705, Article 205705
• Main Authors: Su, Yuqi, Zhu, Tianbin, Cheng, Yong, Sun, Nanjie, Wang, Heng, Li, Yawei, Hu, Feng, Xie, Zhipeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Counterparts; GNPs; Tribological properties; WC-based ceramics; Wear mechanism
• ISSN: 0043-1648
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wear.2024.205705

To improve the wear resistance of WC-based cemented carbides and prevent the metallic phases from softening in high-temperature environments, the ceramic phases (ZrO2 and Al2O3) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were used to replace the metallic phases. The incorporation of 0.2 wt% GNPs led in a significant reduction in the wear rate of WC-ZrO2-Al2O3 ceramics, decreasing it from 3.30 × 10−7 mm3 N−1 m−1 to 2.14 × 10−7 mm3 N−1 m−1, thereby achieving a remarkable decrease of 35 %. Furthermore, the tribological behaviors and wear mechanisms of WC-ZrO2-Al2O3-GNPs ceramics against typical counterparts (including GCr15, Si3N4, SiC, YG6 and TC4) were systematically studied. Under conditions of dry sliding friction, the WC-ZrO2-Al2O3-GNPs ceramic composites exhibited distinct wear behaviors when in contact with different counterparts. Specifically, interactions with GCr15, Si3N4, and SiC counterparts predominantly resulted in abrasive wear, while a slight fatigue wear was observed when paired with YG6 counterparts. Notably, a pronounced adhesive wear was encountered when in conjunction with TC4. This study elucidated the wear mechanisms of WC-based ceramic composites against these representative counterparts and quantified the associated ratios of wear volume. The findings provide a theoretical foundation for the application of WC-based ceramics as cutting tools in machining typical materials. •The effect of GNPs on the tribological properties of WC-based ceramics was investigated.•The different wear mechanisms between WC-based ceramics and different friction pairs were studied.•WC-ZrO2-Al2O3-GNPs ceramics were fabricated by oscillatory pressure sintering (OPS).