Influence of Cr₃C₂ content on the wear properties of Cr₃C₂/Ni₃Al composites

A The Ni₃Al-alloy and its composites with different Cr₃C₂ contents were fabricated by a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technique. The influences of Cr₃C₂ content on the microstructure, hardness and wear properties of the Cr₃C₂/Ni₃ Al composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and wear tribometry. The results show that inter-diffusion occurs between the original Cr₃C₂ and the Ni₃AI particles during the HIP process and the Cr₃C₂ particles partially transform into M₇C₃ (M=Cr, Fe, Ni) structures. Under specific friction and wear conditions, the wear resistance of the Cr₃C₂/Ni₃Al composites is significantly improved due to the addition of Cr₃C₂ particles by about 4-10 times, compared to the Ni₃Al alloy. In addition, the cutting and scraping effects of counter-part disks by the Cr₃C₂/Ni₃Al composites decreases with increasing Cr₃C₂ addition, resulting in a reduction in wear rate of counter-part disks.