Tribological Properties of Hot-Pressed SrSO4 Ceramic at Elevated Temperatures in Dry Sliding Against Alumina Ball

Abstract

SrSO4 ceramic was prepared by hot-pressed sintering and its friction behavior was investigated against the Al2O3 ball under the dry sliding condition from room temperature to 800 °C. From room temperature to 400 °C, the tribological properties of SrSO4 ceramic are quite poor with the friction coefficients of 0.65–0.83 and the wear rates of about 10−3 mm3/Nm. With the testing temperature increasing to 600 °C and 800 °C, a brittle to ductile transition of SrSO4 takes place because of the activated slip systems. The friction coefficient and wear rate of SrSO4 ceramic also obviously decrease to 0.37 and about 10−4 mm3/Nm at 800 °C. The significant improvement of the tribological properties is ascribed to the formation of a smooth and continuous SrSO4 lubricating film with excellent ductility and low shear strength at elevated temperature. SrSO4 is considered to be a potential candidate for high-temperature solid lubricant with excellent lubricity.