Wear and friction behavior of self-lubricating hybrid Cu-(SiC plus x CNT) composites

In the present study, wear and friction behavior of Cu matrix composites reinforced with simultaneous SiC-nanoparticle and multi-wall carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforcements were investigated and a relationship for the theoretical calculation of the friction coefficient of the hybrid composites was presented. The hybrid composites showed higher wear resistance and lower friction coefficients compared to monolithic copper. The results indicate that among the synthesized composites, Cu-(2 vol% SiC + 4 vol% CNT) represented the highest wear resistance as well as relatively high hardness. In addition, a lower friction coefficient and a lower oscillation were observed with this sample, compared to other hybrid composite samples. This was attributed to the formation of a continuous and uniform lubricant layer on the wear surface. Flake formation-spalling were detected as the dominant wear mechanism for the hybrid composites.