Preparation and tribological properties of Cr-C reinforced Cu/graphite composites decomposed in situ by Cr2AlC

Cu/graphite composites are widely used in various fields as friction materials . However, their tribological properties are limited by the inadequate wettability between Cu and graphite and the insufficient strength of the Cu matrix. To strengthen Cu/graphite composites and improve their interface bonding, this investigation employed Cr 2 AlC to modify Cu/graphite composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure, interface characteristics, and tribological properties of the composites were thoroughly examined. The results show that the composites exhibit favorable tribological properties, which improved with the increase in sintering temperature . Specifically, as the sintering temperature increases from 800 °C to 980 °C, the friction coefficient of the composites decreases from 0.170 to 0.138, while the wear rate decreases from 9.92 × 10 −7 mm 3 /N·m to 1.86 × 10 −7 mm 3 /N·m.