Yanar, Harun; Çelebİ, Müslİm; Sekban, Dursun Murat; Özkaya, Serdar; Karabacak, Abdullah Hasan; Çelİk, Ertuğrul

In this study, Cu-based AlCrFeCuNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) composites reinforced with graphene were fabricated using a mechanical-alloying-assisted spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The HEA reinforcement content was kept constant at 20 wt pct for all samples, while the graphene content was varied at 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt pct to investigate its influence on the microstructure, hardness, and tribological performance. The results indicate that both the HEA particles and graphene exhibit an almost homogeneous distribution within the matrix; however, increasing graphene content led to noticeable graphene accumulation along grain boundaries. With higher graphene fractions, the relative density decreased from 97.51 to 94.92 pct, whereas the hardness increased up to the 1.0 wt pct graphene addition, reaching 134.16 HB, followed by a slight decrease to 129.25 HB at 2.0 wt pct. Furthermore, graphene reinforcement significantly improved the tribological behavior of the composites, providing a substantial reduction in wear. The addition of graphene significantly decreased the coefficient of friction from about ~ 0.70 in the Cu–HEA alloy to 0.08 at 2.0 wt pct graphene. Graphene also suppressed the pronounced frictional fluctuations observed in the base alloy, leading to a much more stable sliding behavior. As a result, wear loss was reduced by nearly 99 pct, primarily due to the formation of a continuous lubricating tribofilm on the contact surface.

AtıfScopus3·WoS4·OpenAlex4

İncele

Ozkaya, Serdar; Çelebi, Müslim; Yanar, Harun; Karabacak, Abdullah Hasan; Çelik, Ertuğrul; Güler, Onur; Coskun, Abdulkadir; Sekban, Dursun Murat

Cu-based hybrid composites reinforced with AlCrFeCuNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) particles and graphene were successfully fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) to investigate the combined effects of microstructure, mechanical properties, and tribological performance under electrical current. Microstructural observations revealed a dense and homogeneous distribution of HEA particles within the Cu matrix, while the addition of 2.0 wt.% graphene promoted noticeable grain refinement due to its grain boundary pinning effect. Although graphene addition provided beneficial effects in terms of grain refinement and electrical conductivity, it also increased the porosity from 2.49% to 5.08%. Consequently, the beneficial contribution of graphene to mechanical strengthening was substantially offset by the adverse effect of increased porosity, resulting in only a marginal increase in hardness from 127 HB to 129 HB. The addition of 2.0 wt.% graphene led to a pronounced change in the tribological behavior of the composites. The Cu–HEA exhibited relatively stable friction behavior but experienced a higher wear rate under all test conditions. In comparison, the Cu–HEA–2.0 Gr composite demonstrated a lower coefficient of friction and wear rate at 0–10 A, which is consistent with the possible formation of a graphene-rich lubricating surface layer. A clear transition occurred at 30 A, where the coefficient of friction and wear rate began to increase, while at 50 A, further increases in both parameters were observed, suggesting progressive disruption of the proposed protective surface layer under the investigated current-carrying sliding conditions.

İncele

Çelebi, Müslim; Karabacak, Abdullah Hasan; Özkaya, Serdar; Çelik, Ertuğrul; Sekban, Dursun Murat; Çanakçı, Aykut; Yanar, Harun

Copper (Cu) is widely used in electrical, electronic, and tribological systems owing to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. However, its relatively low hardness and poor wear resistance limit its use in demanding engineering applications. In this study, Cu-based hybrid metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and boron carbide (B4C) were fabricated via spark plasma sintering (SPS) to improve their mechanical and tribological performance. The h-BN content was fixed at 1 wt.% to ensure solid lubrication, while the B4C content was varied (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 wt.%) to examine its influence on the microstructural, mechanical, electrical, and wear properties of the composites. Microstructural analyses confirmed a homogeneous distribution of h-BN and B4C particles in the Cu matrix at low and moderate reinforcement levels, whereas excessive B4C resulted in partial agglomeration and reduced densification. All composites achieved relative densities above 95%, demonstrating the high densification efficiency of the SPS process. Hardness increased markedly with B4C addition due to dispersion strengthening and grain refinement, while electrical conductivity decreased slightly because of the insulating nature of the reinforcements. Tribological tests showed that the composite containing 0.75 wt.% B4C exhibited the best performance, with the lowest wear rate and stable friction behavior. Overall, the results indicate that co-reinforcing Cu with h-BN and B4C through SPS is a promising strategy for developing multifunctional materials suitable for electrical contact and sliding applications.

AtıfScopus11·WoS12·OpenAlex12

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