Investigation of mechanical and tribological properties of tribo-layer of Ni₃Al matrix composites

The sliding wear of Ni₃Al matrix composites with addition of 1.5 wt.% graphene nanoplates was studied through pin-on-disc wear testing. The spontaneous formation of a tribo-layer produced during sliding wear was found to result in a deviation from Archard scaling and an unexpected high wear resistance that was not based on hardness alone. The tribo-layer exhibited specific microstructural evolution with significant severe deformation and grain refinement after wear. In the grain refinement area, the accumulation of dislocations and an increase in misorientations were found to lead to strain hardening. For the plastic deformed area, reduction in the dislocation density inside the elongated ultrafine grains reduced strain hardening compared with the grain refinement area. It can be concluded that the deviation from Archard scaling occurred primarily as a result of the microstructural evolution of the tribo-layer, resulting in the specific performance of mechanical and tribological properties of Ni₃Al matrix composites under cyclic sliding wear process.