Tribological properties and wear mechanism of short carbon fiber reinforced SiC composites against Al2O3, SiC, and Si3N4

The tribological properties of carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composites (C/C-SiC) were investigated under loads of 30 and 50 N using a reciprocating friction method. The study employed alumina, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride balls as the counterpart materials. Results indicated that under different loads, the C/C-SiC composites paired with silicon nitride balls exhibited the highest coefficient of friction and wear volume. In contrast, those paired with alumina balls demonstrated the best comprehensive tribological performance, with a low coefficient of friction and low value of wear volume. The wear mechanisms of the different pairs were studied, revealing that the primary wear mechanisms for each pair include abrasive wear, oxidative wear, and fatigue wear.