Tribological investigation of MgO/Al₂O₃ ceramic composite with the inclusion of nano CuO in dry abrasive wear test

This paper aims to investigate the tribological influence of nano sized (∼50 nm) copper oxide (CuO) into the magnesium (MgO) based alumina (Al₂O₃) ceramic composite in a hard-abrasive sliding condition. Sliding wear test was performed to find the frictional and wear behavior of the specimens against abrasive silicon carbide (SiC) interface by means of a rotary pin-on-disk tribometer. Nano CuO added specimen significantly diminished both friction coefficient and wear rate by ∼42.94% and ∼38.30%, respectively as compared to base MgO/Al₂O₃ specimen. Mending effect of nano CuO by providing a smooth layer was expected to be the main lubricating mechanism against rough abrasive wear surface. Delamination and two body abrasion were the predominant wear mechanism which was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Different phases of the compounds were identified by x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. (paper)