Abrasive wear performance of tungsten carbide based self-lubricant cutting tool material

• Published in: International journal of refractory metals & hard materials Vol. 51; pp. 91 - 101
• Main Authors: Muthuraja, A., Senthilvelan, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2015
• Subjects: Abrasive wear; Calcium fluoride; Friction; Scanning electron microscopy; Solid lubricant; Solid lubricants; Tungsten carbide; Wear; Wear resistance; Solid lubricant; Tungsten carbide; Friction; Wear
• ISSN: 0263-4368; 2213-3917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2015.03.007

The present study reported the friction and wear performance of the in-house developed tungsten carbide based solid lubricant materials. Calcium fluoride was used as a solid lubricant material and developed for the cutting tool application through ball milling, cold compaction and sintering process. Various amounts (0–10wt.%) of calcium fluoride were considered and the friction wear performance was evaluated with the aid of the pin on disc test rig against abrasive sheet. Weight and surface roughness of the test specimens were measured before and after the test, in addition to the continuous measurement of frictional force and wear during the test. Worn-out test surfaces were observed under scanning electron microscope and three dimensional profiler to understand the wear mechanisms. The test material with 5wt.% CaF2 exhibited less friction and more wear resistance when compared to the other investigated materials. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of calcium and fluoride on the worn-out surface. Improved hardness and presence of lubricants in the developed material were found to reduce the friction and improve the wear resistance of material containing 5wt.% CaF2. •Developed solid lubricant cutting tool material has been evaluated for the tribological performance.•In sufficient and excess amount of calcium fluoride in the tungsten carbide exhibited poor friction and wear performance.•Removal of bonding between carbide particles and subsequent fracture found to be the sequence of wear mechanism.•Presence of calcium fluoride in the developed solid lubricant material significantly improved friction wear characteristics.