Influence of counterbody material on fretting wear behaviour of uncoated and diamond-like carbon-coated Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract

Fretting wear tests were carried out at different normal loads on uncoated and diamond-like carbon (DLC)-coated Ti-6Al-4V samples against two counterbody materials: alumina and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Tangential force coefficient (TFC) values obtained with alumina counterbody were much higher than those obtained with UHMWPE. A significant reduction in TFC was noticed in DLC-coated samples compared with uncoated specimens when tested against alumina counterbody at normal loads of 1.96 and 9.8 N. There was not much difference between TFC values of DLC-coated and uncoated specimens when tested against UHMWPE counterbody. DLC-coating reduced specific wear rate significantly at 1.96 N when the sample was tested against alumina counterbody. However, at higher loads, both uncoated and DLC-coated samples exhibited similar specific wear rates. As initial maximum contact pressure was relatively very low, no fretting scar was observed both in uncoated and DLC-coated samples tested against UHMWPE counterbody.