Tribological Performance of Duplex-Annealed Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo Titanium Alloy at Elevated Temperatures Under Dry Sliding Condition

Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo (Ti-6-2-4-2) is a typical near-α titanium alloy developed for high-temperature applications. It offers numerous enhanced properties like an outstanding strength-to-weight ratio, a low Young’s modulus and exceptional creep and corrosion resistance. On the other hand, titanium alloys are known for their weak resistance to wear. Ti-6-2-4-2 is mainly applied in aero engine component parts, which are exposed to temperatures up to 565 °C. Through an increasing demand on efficiency, engine components are exposed to higher combustion pressures and temperatures. Elevated temperature tribology tests were conducted on a pin-on-disk tribometer equipped with a heating chamber. The tests were carried out under dry conditions with a constant sliding distance of 600 m with a speed of 0.16 m/s at the ball point. The sliding partner was AISI E52100 steel ball with the hardness of 58HRC. The varied input variables are normal load and temperature. It can be concluded that the coefficient of friction (CoF) increases with increasing temperature, while the wear rate decreases to its minimum at 600 °C due to increasing adhesion and oxidation mechanisms. Wear track observations using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) including energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to determine the occurring wear mechanisms.