Investigation on Tribological Behavior of Hot-Pressed Steel/TiB2 Composites Using Taguchi Experimental Design

This article presents the dry sliding wear response of steel composites reinforced with TiB2 particles prepared by hot consolidation. Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array design is adopted to investigate the effect of four operating parameters, i.e., normal load, sliding speed, sliding distance, and reinforcement content on the wear rate of the resultant composite. Reinforcement content is observed to be the most significant factor that affects the wear mechanism followed by sliding velocity and normal load. Specific wear rate revealed a decreasing trend with an increase in sliding speed and load. Wear mechanisms were discussed by analyzing the worn surfaces using a scanning electron microscope. The presence of hard TiB2 particles resulted in enhancement of resistance to plastic deformation of the steel matrix by preventing plastic plowing and cutting.