WEAR PARTICLES OF SINGLE-CRYSTAL SILICON CARBIDE IN VACUUM.

Sliding friction experiments were conducted in vacuum with silicon carbide left brace 0001 right brace surface in contact with iron-based binary alloys. Multiangular and spherical wear particles of silicon carbide are observed as a result of multipass sliding. The multiangular particles are produced by primary and secondary cracking of cleavage planes left brace 0001 right brace , left brace 1010 right brace , left brace 1120 right brace under the Hertzian stress field or local inelastic deformation zone. The spherical particles may be produced by two mechanisms: a penny-shaped fracture along the circular stress trajectories under the local inelastic deformation zone, and attrition of wear particles.