Effect of Friction stir process (FSP) and surface compositing on tribological properties of pure copper

In this research, effect of Friction stir process (FSP) and making Cu/WC-Co surface composite on the wearbehavior of pure copper was investigated. In order to examine microstructure of samples, an optical microscope wasused. As a result of both methods of FSP and surface compositing, a fine grained and homogeneous microstructure wasobserved in the stir zone. Microhardness changes were measured using a Vickers microhardness machine. Based onresults of this test, surface composites resulted in an increase in microhardness. The wear properties were evaluated byreciprocating wear test. The results showed that performing FSP on pure copper and making surface compositeimprove the wear resistance of copper by ۶۹ and ۸۶%, respectively. Examination of wear surfaces and particles byscanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the main wear mechanism was delamination wear.

Keywords:

Copper , FSP , surface composite , wear , microhardness