Tribological Properties of Silicon Carbide and Silicon Carbide–Graphite Composite Ceramics in Sliding Contact

Abstract

A monolithic SiC ceramic and two SiC–C composite ceramics containing 10 and 20 vol% graphite were fully densified with Al4C3 and B4C as additives. The tribological properties of these materials were evaluated by sliding against sintered silicon carbide under dry conditions using two tribometers, block‐on‐ring and pin‐on‐disk, where wear occurred under low and high contact stresses, respectively. For all three materials, under low stress, worn surfaces were smooth and wear processes were dominated by tribochemical reaction; under high stress, worn surfaces were rough and wear processes were dominated by fracture and three‐body abrasion. A lubricating effect of the graphite particles in the SiC–C composites was observed in all sliding tests. However, while the addition of graphite could concurrently result in a reduction in friction and an increase in wear resistance in the block‐on‐ring tests, the addition of graphite led to sharply enhanced wear rates despite the lowered coefficients of friction in the pin‐on‐disk tests. The cause for that difference was attributed to the effect of both the hardness of the materials and the contact stresses.