Publication

Abstract : Herein, we report the tribological behaviour of CNT-304 stainless steel composites at room (28°C) and high temperatures (200°C). Nanocomposites of various CNT concentrations, namely 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 wt%, were prepared. A significant amount of grain refinement resulted in an increase in CNT loading. A tribological study was carried out at 28°C and 200°C. Wear resistance was found to enhance with an increase in CNT concentration at both temperatures. However, a slightly higher wear rate was observed at 200°C for the samples with CNT content < 3 wt% than their corresponding low-temperature values. About 86%, 91% drop-in wear rate was seen in 2.0 wt% CNT-304 SS, and 4.0 wt% CNT-304SS, respectively, as compared to pure SS at 28°C, which is 54% and 88% decrease at 200°C and is very promising. The decrease in wear volume with CNT content at both temperatures can be ascribed to the self-lubricating and reinforcing nature of CNTs in the metal matrix composites. Severe abrasive wear in the pristine SS samples was slowly changed to mild abrasive and lubricated wear in composites. A systematic study on the tribological behaviour of CNT-SS composites can shed light on the benefits and detriments of using them for various applications.