Mechanisms of hard alloy wear in frictional processes with polymers and composite materials

Wear 262-164, 1993, pp. 40-46. Abstract Wear mechanisms have been analysed for a hard alloy prepared from cobalt and tungsten carbide when rubbed against polymers and their composites. The influence of the polymer chemical structure on hard alloy wear by the oxidation-fatigue mechanism was considered, as well as the effect of the hard alloy surface roughness and composite formulation on the running-in process. The relative area of layers transferred by friction onto the hard alloy surface during contact interaction was found to affect the mechanism by which the surface wears. The abrasive wear mechanism changes for the oxidation mechanism in the case of steady friction transfer layer formation owing to weaker friction hardening of the hard alloy surface layer, and to fatigue tear-out of carbide grains.