Antifriction property of microarc oxidation coating on titanium alloy under solid lubricating sliding condition

Ceramic coatings were fabricated on Ti6Al4V alloy surface by microarc oxidation (MAO) in Na₂SiO₃-(NaPO₃) ₆-NaAlO₂ solution using an AC power supply. Microstructure and phase composition of coating were characterized by SEM and XRD, respectively. The antifriction property of the coating with and without solid lubricant sliding against SAE 52100 steel ball was investigated on a pin-on-disk friction and wear tester. The results show that the microarc oxidation coating is relatively dense and uniform, mainly composed of rutile and anatase. The coating sliding against the steel has friction coefficient as low as 0.2-0.3 at an applied load of 0.5 N and sliding cycle below 2500, which is much smaller than that of uncoated Ti6Al4V against the same counterpart. The transferring of materials from the softer steel ball onto the coating surface is the main wear event, while the microarc oxidation coating is characterized by slight abrasive wear and adhesive wear. Introducing solid graphite lubricant into the porous surface of microarc oxidation coating significantly improves the long-term antifriction property (registering friction efficient of 0.15 in the long-term sliding) under a similar sliding condition. This improvement is attributed to the reduction of materials that are transferred from the softer steel ball onto the coating surface.