Tribological Behavior of Ti₃AlC₂ Against SiC at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures

In this paper, we reported the tribological behavior of Ti ₃AlC₂ disk sliding against SiC ball from room temperature (RT) to 1,000 C. The tribological properties are highly dependent of testing temperature. At RT, the coefficient of friction (CoF) is as low as 0.34 in the steady state, but the wear rate is relative high (4.26 × 10^-4 mm³/Nm). At 200 and 400 C, the CoF is as high as 1.21, and the wear rates are very high, about on the order of 10^-3 mm³/Nm. From 600 to 1,000 C, however, Ti₃AlC₂ exhibits quite low wear rate on the order of 10^-6 mm³/Nm and relative moderate CoF, 0.60-0.80. The compacted continuous oxide layer at 600 C and above might be responsible for the outstanding wear resistance.