A Study of the Frictional Layer of TiAl-12Ag-5TiB₂ Composite During Dry Sliding Wear

Many studies have shown that the excellent tribological properties of materials are primarily attributed to the formation of expected frictional layer on the worn surface. This article is dedicated to explore the possible formation and acting mechanism of frictional layer of TiAl-12Ag-5TiB₂ composite. At normal load of 12 N, a frictional layer that consists of wear-induced layer and plastic deformation layer is observed. The soft wear-induced layer supported by the harder plastic deformation layer leads to the low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. The harder plastic deformation layer is induced by repetitive tribo-contact and considerable plastic deformation. Its high hardness improves the wear resistance of composite, and fine-grained structure promotes the diffusion of lubricating phase during dry friction process. The soft wear-induced layer can be divided into tribofilm and mechanically mixed layer. The mechanically mixed layer that consists of Ag and Ti-Al Oxides can continuously be provided to the worn surface to form a tribofilm with low shearing stress junctions, lowering the friction coefficient.