Friction and wear behaviors of C/C-SiC composites containing Ti3SiC2

In the present paper, friction and wear behaviors of a carbon fiber reinforced carbon-silicon carbide-titanium silicon carbide (C-SiC-Ti3SiC2) hybrid matrix composites fabricated by slurry infiltration and liquid silicon infiltration were studied for potential application as brake materials. The properties were compared with those of C/C-SiC composites. The composites containing Ti3SiC2 had not only higher friction stability coefficient but also much higher wear resistance than C/C-SiC composites. At an initial braking speed of 28 m/s under 0.8 MPa pressure, the weight wear rate of the composites containing 5 vol% Ti3SiC2 was 5.55 mg/cycle, which was only one-third of C/C-SiC composites. Self-lubricious film-like debris was formed on the composites containing Ti3SiC2, leading to the improvement of friction and wear properties. The effect of braking speed and braking pressure on the tribological properties of modified composites were investigated. The average friction coefficient was significantly affected by braking speed and braking pressure, but the wear rate was less affected by braking pressure. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.