An analysis of the wear behavior of SiC whisker-reinforced alumina from 25 to 1200 C

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Tribology Transactions; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/10402009308983183· OSTI ID:5728840

Dellacorte, C ^[1]

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1. NASA, Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH (United States)

A model is described for predicting the wear behavior of whisker reinforced ceramics. The model was successfully applied to a silicon carbide whisker reinforced alumina ceramic composite subjected to sliding contact. The model compares the friction forces on the whiskers due to sliding, which act to pull or push them out of the matrix, to the clamping or compressive forces on the whiskers due to the matrix, which act to hold the whiskers in the composite. At low temperatures, the whiskers are held strongly in the matrix and are fractured into pieces during the wear process along with the matrix. At elevated temperatures differential thermal expansion between the whiskers and matrix can cause loosening of the whiskers and lead to pullout during the wear process and to higher wear. The model, which represents the combination of elastic stress analysis and a friction heating analysis, predicts a transition temperature at which the strength of the whiskers equals the clamping force holding them in the matrix. Above the transition the whiskers are pulled out of the matrix during sliding, and below the transition the whiskers are simply fractured. The existence of the transition gives rise to a dual wear mode or mechanism behavior for this material which was observed in laboratory experiments. The results from this model correlate well with experimentally observed behavior indicating that the model may be useful in obtaining a better understanding of material behavior and in making material improvements. 16 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5728840
• Journal Information: Tribology Transactions; (United States), Journal Name: Tribology Transactions; (United States) Vol. 36:3; ISSN 1040-2004; ISSN TRTRE4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103* -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
360603 -- Materials-- Properties
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
COMPRESSIBILITY
EXPANSION
FRICTION
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATRIX MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SILICON CARBIDES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
STRESS ANALYSIS
TEMPERATURE RANGE
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0065-0273 K
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K
THERMAL EXPANSION
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
WEAR