Tribological Characterization of Iron Based Ceramic Reinforced Self- lubricating Material

In this paper, the effect of ZrO₂ reinforcement and MoS₂ as solid lubricant on tribological properties of iron-copper-tin composite for plain bearing application have been investigated. This paper includes two studies, one in which wt% of MoS₂ is varied keeping wt% of ZrO₂ constant and in another wt% of ZrO₂ is varied keeping wt% of MoS₂ constant to see the effect of ZrO₂ as reinforcement and MoS₂ as a solid lubricant for improving tribological properties of sintered Fe-Cu-Sn material. The material was prepared by sintering at temperature of 1150° C. The tribological properties of developed materials were analysed by ball on disk test.Least value of COF 0.0421 is shown by sample with 2 wt.% of MoS₂ and 2 wt.% of ZrO₂. Least wear rate of 0.4581x10^-4 mm\Nm for sample with 2 wt.% of MoS₂ and 2 wt.% ZrO₂.Characterization of worn surfaces revealed abrasive and adhesive wear including third body abrasive wear, delamination and micro-ploughing in reinforced composites. The addition of MoS₂ has improved tribological properties, whereas ZrO₂ addition not only improved tribological properties, but also improved strength and hardnessof the composite. Maximum hardness value 208HV (701.4MPa) is shown by the composite with 2 wt.% of MoS₂ and 2 wt. % of ZrO₂. The findings show that the developed material could be used for antifriction andantiwear plain bearing applications.