Tribological behaviours of Mo–Si–B–xTi alloys against Al2O3 ceramic and AISI 52100 steel

In this study, the Mo–Si–B alloys containing 10–30 wt% Ti were prepared by spark plasma sintering. The dry sliding tribological properties against Al2O3 ceramic and AISI 52100 steel were thoroughly investigated, and the corresponding wear mechanism was explored. The results indicate that the tribological properties of the MoSiBTi alloys are highly dependent on the Ti content and property of counterpart materials. The dominant wear mechanism of the MoSiBTi alloys sliding against Al2O3 ceramic is severe abrasive and adhesive wear and it transforms to mild abrasive and adhesive wear when coupled with AISI 52100 steel. It confirms that the MoSiBTi/AISI 52100 steel friction pairs show more preferable wear resistance, which is more suitable for room temperature tribological applications.