Current-carrying tribological behavior and wear mechanism of CuW composites with different W content

CuW composites are widely used in the field of electrical contacts, such as high-voltage switch and microelectronic devices, and the service life of the key components is directly affected by its wear resistance and corrosion resistance. In this paper, the effects of loading current on the tribological behavior of CuW composites with different W content were studied, focusing on the variation of friction coefficient during friction, wear rate and the wear topography of the surface after friction, and the wear mechanism was discussed. The results indicate that the friction coefficient of CuW composites was larger under energized conditions than under dry friction conditions, and that the friction coefficient first increases and then decreases with the increasing current. The main reason for the decrease in friction coefficient is that the heat generated by increasing current creates a layer of molten lubricant on the contact surface. In addition, the wear rate of the CuW composites decreased as the W content increased. When loaded with a current of 15 A, the CuW80 composites exhibited the lowest wear rate of 8 × 10⁻³ mg/m, which was attributed to the improved wear resistance due to the ability of the high W content to resist plastic deformation. The wear forms of CuW composites under current loading include adhesion, abrasive wear and arc erosion, and fatigue wear was also associated with long-term high current conditions.