Tribological behaviors of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride sliding against silicon nitride in air and vacuum conditions

Abstract In order to evaluate the friction and wear properties of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) based on the drilling tools cutting, the ball-on-disk tribological experiments of PCBN sliding against silicon nitride (Si3N4) were carried out in air and vacuum conditions. The tribological behaviors were investigated by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Nanomap-D three-dimensional White Light Interferometer. The results demonstrate that the coefficient of friction (CoF) is closely interrelated with the changing tendency of loads, where the CoFs gradually decrease with the growth of the load whether in air or in vacuum on account of a transfer film in air and a change from sliding friction to rolling friction in vacuum. Moreover, the CoF in vacuum condition is invariably greater than that in air under the similar load owing to friction heat. Furthermore, no observable abrasion appears on Si3N4 in air while severe abrasive wear is dominant on Si3N4 in vacuum. In addition, there is more intense adhesion on PCBN in vacuum than that in air. The reason is that the friction heat is gathered in vacuum condition with a confined environment.