Investigation of the wear behavior of FeNi36 alloy cut by WEDM method under different loads
Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology
ISSN: 0002-2667
Article publication date: 13 December 2023
Issue publication date: 6 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
FeNi36 (Invar-36) alloy is widely used in the fabrication of molding tools in aerospace industries but there remains a need to improve its wear and friction performance due to its relatively low hardness. The formation of a heat affected zone (HAZ) on the surface of Invar-36 cut by wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) is promising to enhance its tribological properties. This study aims to investigate the tribological performance of WEDM-treated Invar-36 via a ball-on-disk tribometer in dry-sliding conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
The untreated and WEDM-treated Invar-36 surfaces were reciprocated against an alumina ball at a sliding velocity of 40 mm/s, a stroke length of 10 mm and a sliding duration of 125 min under loads of 5, 10 and 20 N. The worn surfaces were characterized using a 2D profilometry and a scanning electron microscope equipped with energy-dispersive spectroscopy.
Findings
The results showed that the WEDM-treated surface had a superior friction coefficient and wear resistance in comparison to the untreated surface, due to the grown HAZ. There was found to be a 9.3%–11.4% decrease in the friction coefficient and a 47%–57% reduction in the wear volume after the WEDM treatment. Both the untreated and WEDM-treated Invar-36 surfaces found abrasion and plastic deformation as the dominant wear mechanisms.
Originality/value
Previous works have not focused on the tribological performance of the WEDM-treated Invar-36 extensively used for molding tools in aerospace industries. Our findings provide compelling evidence that the WEDM treatment improved the wear and friction performance of Invar-36 alloy because of the grown HAZ.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Haier Group for their support.
Funding: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by the Scientific Academic Projects at Iskenderun Technical University of Science and Technology (Project numbered 2022LTP04 and titled “Investigation of surface morphology, corrosion resistance and dry sliding wear behavior of Invar alloys after WEDM”).
Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Citation
Ceritbinmez, F., Kanca, Y., Tuna, A. and Kanca, E. (2024), "Investigation of the wear behavior of FeNi36 alloy cut by WEDM method under different loads", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 96 No. 1, pp. 136-143. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-06-2023-0155
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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