High temperature tribological behaviors of GH3535 alloy as structural materials for molten salt reactor applications

Abstract

The temperature- and time-dependent tribological behaviors of GH3535 alloy were systematically investigated. The results indicate that the terrible wear occurs at room temperature. The friction coefficient and wear rate decrease monotonically with increasing temperature from room temperature to 800 °C. The enhancing tribological performance at 700 °C and 800 °C is attributed to the generation of the lubricating oxides on the mating face of both GH3535 alloys and counterpart balls. To reveal the underlying mechanisms, time-dependent wear tests were conducted at 700 °C. The near-interface region of GH3535 alloy after a 120 min wear test at 700 °C exhibits a gradient layered structure. These findings are critical for understanding the high-temperature tribological behavior of GH3535 alloy, enhancing its performance as a structural material in molten salt reactors (MSRs) environments.