Macit, Cevher Kursat; Gürgenç, Turan; Aksakal, Bunyamin; Aslan, Naim

Copper and its alloys are widely used in electrical, automotive, aerospace, and energy applications because of their excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. However, the low hardness and poor wear resistance of pure Cu limit its use under tribologically demanding sliding conditions. In this study, Cu matrix composites reinforced with 1 wt.% boron carbide (B4C), boron (B), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), alumina (Al2O3), and graphite (Gr) were fabricated by powder metallurgy and comparatively evaluated under identical processing and testing conditions. Phase constitution and microstructural characteristics were analyzed by XRD, SEM, and EDS, while mechanical and tribological behavior was assessed by Vickers hardness and dry sliding wear tests. All reinforcements improved the hardness of the Cu matrix compared with unreinforced Cu. The hardness increase followed the order Cu–B4C (68.91%) > Cu–B (66.43%) > Cu–Gr (63.97%) > Cu–Al2O3 (61.79%) > Cu–Cr (42.69%) > Cu–Co (36.04%). Dry sliding wear tests, performed under a 10 N normal load, 0.05 m s−1 sliding speed, and 1000 m sliding distance against a 316L stainless-steel ball, showed that all reinforced composites exhibited lower mass loss and more stable sliding behavior than pure Cu. Among all samples, Cu–B4C displayed the best wear performance, with a 154.8% improvement in wear resistance relative to pure Cu. SEM analysis of the worn surfaces revealed that reinforcement addition reduced severe plastic deformation, groove formation, and delamination, leading to a more stable wear regime. Graphite- and boron-containing composites benefited from interfacial lubrication and contact stabilization, whereas B4C and Al2O3 improved wear resistance through rigid-particle strengthening and enhanced load-bearing capacity. By comparing ceramic, metalloid, metallic, oxide, and solid-lubricating reinforcements at the same low addition level and under identical processing and testing conditions, this study provides a reinforcement-selection framework for Cu-based composites requiring improved hardness and dry-sliding durability.

AtıfScopus2·WoS2·OpenAlex2

İncele

Macit, Cevher Kursat; Aksakal, Bünyamin; Ayık, Merve; Gürgenç, Turan; Aslan, Naim

High-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying was used to deposit WC-Co and WC-Co-Cr coatings on high-speed steel in order to determine how binder chemistry and coating thickness jointly control load support, friction, and dry sliding wear resistance. Nominal 50 and 100 µm coatings were compared within the same substrate framework by XRD, FT-IR, SEM/EDX, cross-sectional image analysis, Vickers hardness testing, dry sliding wear testing, and post-wear SEM/EDX. The coatings retained WC as the dominant crystalline phase, while weak overlapping features were associated with binder-rich regions and limited decarburization products. Cross-sectional observations confirmed continuous coating build-up close to the nominal thicknesses and low apparent dark-feature/porosity fractions. All WC-based coatings increased the effective hardness and reduced mass loss relative to uncoated HSS. Among the tested conditions, WC-Co-Cr-100 provided the highest effective hardness and the lowest mass loss after 1000 m sliding, whereas WC-Co-100 produced the lowest mean coefficient of friction. The results show that low friction and high wear resistance are not governed by identical mechanisms: WC-Co favours interfacial shear reduction, while the thicker Cr-containing coating provides superior resistance to material removal through improved carbide retention, binder stability, and coating-scale load support.

İncele