TEACHING ABOUT TRIBOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF IRON-BASED SHAPE-MEMORY ALLOYS

Friction and wear behaviors of two compositions of Fe-based shape memory alloys were comparatively evaluated under various dry sliding conditions. Two shape memory alloys, Fe-32Mn-6Si, and Fe-14Mn-9Cr-5Ni-6Si, were considered. These materials belong to the same family which can be explored in industry for their interesting behavior such as the strain recovery with a low cost compared to copper-based alloys and Ni-Ti alloys. They were currently used as tighteners or pipe couplings, in civil engineering, mechanical engineering and automotive applications. For these good mechanical properties, good corrosion resistance with relatively a low cost, it is interesting to study and present the tribological behaviors of these materials in education. The tribological properties of these alloys were investigated using a reciprocating linear tribometer. Experimental results show that the variation of frequency and normal load do not have a significant influence on the friction behaviors of the two alloys. Nonetheless, the specific wear rate of each alloy increases progressively when the load increases. The wear mechanisms of materials under the different sliding conditions are analyzed and discussed basing on optical micrographs of the worn surfaces and the steel counterface.