Investigation of the influence of high hydrostatic pressure on the abrasive wear of hard-alloy materials

This paper outlines the results of an experimental study of the influence of high hydrostatic pressure on the abrasive wear of hard-alloy materials based on tungsten carbide (similar to 90% WC +/- 10% Co), as well as alloys based on iron with high contents of chromium. A specially developed setup has been described in the paper that makes it possible to test materials under the hydrostatic pressure of up to 250 MPa at different friction speeds. An investigation of the surfaces of samples using the Scanning Electron Microscopy method has revealed that the main damage of alloy surface occurs due to the delamination and spalling of hard particles. It has been revealed that the hydrostatic pressure significantly influences the wear rate of the investigated materials. When the pressure increases to 200 MPa, the wear of materials with high contents of chromium increases seven times, while for the material based on tungsten carbide, it increases twice.