Tribological properties of FeS/Cu-Bi copper-based bearing materials fabricated by mechanical alloying

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to fabricate a FeS/Cu-Bi copper-based lead-free bearing material to maintain good friction-reducing and anti-adhesive properties under boundary lubrication conditions. Design/methodology/approach The materials were fabricated by mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy and tested under dry friction conditions using HDM-20 wear tester. Findings The results show that mechanical alloying can improve the antifriction and wear resistance of the materials. The 6 per cent FeS and 6 per cent Bi in the copper-based bearing materials fabricated by mechanical alloying have a better synergism which contributes to the friction and wear properties of copper matrix. Originality/value This new approach solves the problems of Bi and FeS mutual segmentation, mutual agglomeration and poor interface bonding.

Tribological performance optimization and synergistic lubrication evolution of Pb‐free FeS/Cu–Bi composites

“…The distribution of the S element was inconsistent with that of the Bi element, and the accumulation of S could not be observed in the Bi phase enrichment area. S was uniformly distributed in the copper alloy matrix, indicating that the agglomeration of FeS and Bi particles was dispersed by mechanical alloying, which is consistent with the results of a previous research 11 . The enrichment of the S element on the worn surface was confirmed to be the result of the synergistic lubrication of FeS and Bi.…”

“…S was uniformly distributed in the copper alloy matrix, indicating that the agglomeration of FeS and Bi particles was dispersed by mechanical alloying, which is consistent with the results of a previous research. 11 The enrichment of the S element on the worn surface was confirmed to be the result of the synergistic lubrication of FeS and Bi. Meanwhile, Figure 10 indicates that the content of Bi on the worn surface of the FCB material was obviously larger than that of the CB material due to the synergistic lubrication of FeS and Bi.…”

“…Their results showed that appropriate Bi addition can improve the interface bonding between FeS and copper alloy and increase the density and crushing strength of the material. Yin et al 11 used mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy techniques to prepare FCB materials and studied their tribological properties. Mechanical alloying can alleviate the agglomeration of FeS and Bi particles and promote the uniform distribution of the lubricant phase in the matrix.…”

“…The Taguchi design method uses a special design of orthogonal arrays to examine the entire parameter space; hence, it is effective in material or experiment design 20,21 . Based on the previous related research work, 8–11 the Taguchi design method was used in this study to investigate the effects of FeS content, Bi content and ball milling time on the tribological properties of Pb‐free FCB composites. Pb‐free FCB composites with excellent tribological properties were prepared.…”

The synergistic effect of carbon materials on properties of copper-based friction materials

“…The peak subpeak of S 2p was fitted into two peaks, one near 162.5 eV and the other near 169.0 eV. According to the literature, the peak of S 2p appears at 162.5 eV, corresponding to Cr 2 S 3 and CuS, and peak appears at 169.0 eV, corresponding to organic or acid ions (Peisert et al, 1994;Yin et al, 2019;Kutty, 1991;Visser et al, 1984). It reveals that there were mainly metal sulfide and sulfate on the friction surface.…”