Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of Copper Matrix Composites Enhanced with TiO2 and MoS2 Hybrids

The paper deals with the properties of copper-based composites. Copper is contributing to the field of automobiles and aerospace industries. The tribological properties of copper are not found to be satisfactory, which may be attributed to the support of producing copper matrix composites with extensive investigations into their properties. Coper-based hybrid composites were fabricated by reinforcing titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) to enhance the wear and mechanical properties of copper composites. Three specimens were prepared by powder metallurgy process with the designations of Cu + 5wt.%TiO₂, Cu + 5wt.%TiO₂ + 2wt.% MoS₂, and Cu + 5wt.% TiO₂ + 4wt.% MoS₂. The metallurgical analysis was done on the specimens using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis which confirms the presence and distribution of Cu, TiO₂, and MoS₂ particles in the specimens. The wear rate was studied on the specimens concerning the sliding velocity, load, and MoS₂ content. The statistical analysis and Taguchi analysis highlight the influencing parameters on the wear rate of the material. Linear regression equations were developed to predict the wear rate using DoE. Through this analysis, the sliding velocity of 3 m/s, a load of 30 N, and a 4% addition of MoS₂ were identified as the optimum parameters for the minimal wear rate. The wear mechanism was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy techniques to reveal the adhesion, delamination, and oxidation.