Sintered Silicon Carbide composites deposited on zirconium alloy substrates in air and Ar atmosphere-Part I: Evaluation of scratch adhesion and tribology properties

Scratch and tribological properties of sintered Silicon Carbide (SiC) micro-composites deposited on Zr-alloy substrates in air and Ar atmosphere involving selective laser sintering technique were investigated. Scratch adhesion test results of SiC/Zr-1Nb sintered in air atmosphere shows extra resistance to the extension in scratch track width and depth than SiC/Zr-1Nb sintered in Ar atmosphere. Microstructures of tribological morphology of SiC coated in Air atmosphere reveals superior resistance to wear with about 6.8% increase in its mean friction coefficient than that sintered in Ar atmosphere. In general, SiC/Zr-1Nb sintered in each atmosphere provides superior mechanical properties over uncoated Zr-alloy.

Automated summary

The study revealed that SiC/Zr-1Nb sintered in air atmosphere demonstrated better scratch adhesion and tribological properties compared to samples sintered in Ar atmosphere. Additionally, SiC coated in air atmosphere showed superior wear resistance, with an increase in mean friction coefficient.