Wear behaviour of aged Cu-Be alloy under electrical sliding

The sliding friction and wear behaviors of aged Cu-Be alloy was studied in the presence of electrical current. Electrical sliding was performed between a Cu-Be pin and a flat surface of a hardened steel disk in ambient atmosphere. The effects of aging heat treatment, electrical current density on the friction and wear behavior were investigated. The microstructure and the worn surfaces of the aged Cu-Be alloy were also investigated by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results indicated that the aging treatment has affected the microstructure, hardness and wear resistance of Cu-Be alloy. The values of hardness for the alloy reached the peak hardness after an aging treatment at 330 degrees C for 3 h and over-aging occurred at higher temperature. Both the coefficient of friction and wear loss increased when small electrical current was applied and decreased as the electrical current density increased. Adhesive wear and abrasive wear were the dominant mechanisms during the electrical sliding processes. The alloy treated at 330 degrees C for 3 h exhibited much better wear resistance.