Structures and Tribological Characteristics of TiFe–xC Triboengineering Materials Obtained by Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis

We study the tribological properties and structures of materials of the TiFe–xC system obtained by selfpropagating high-temperature synthesis. It is shown that these triboengineering materials exhibit good operating characteristics under the conditions of dry and abrasive friction under temperate loads at room temperature. The structure of the obtained materials is formed by Ti2Fe and TiFe intermetallic compounds, which represent thermodynamically stable phases with a great heat of formation. The addition of boron to the TiFe–хС system significantly reduces the temperatures of the main critical points of these compounds and extends the temperature range of synthesis. We determine the friction coefficients for friction couples formed by a ball of ShKh15 steel–TiFe–20C and a ball of ShKh15 steel–45 steel, which are equal to 0.11 and 0.15, respectively, under the identical conditions. The high strength characteristics of specimens of the TiFe–20C, TiFe–30C, and 55Ti–20C–30Fe–0.31B systems enable us to use these materials for the protection of the surfaces of nozzle leaves of the jet engines operating at high temperatures and under high loads.