Wear Characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy at 20–400°C

Tribo-oxides of titanium alloy are usually reported to provide low protection from wear. However, in this research, tribo-oxides provide a protective effect for wear. Dry sliding wear tests were performed for Ti-6Al-4V alloy under loads of 50–250 N at 20–400°C. Ti-6Al-4V alloy presented different wear behavior at 400°C than at 20–200°C. At 20°C, the wear loss increased linearly with increased load. The wear loss at 200°C marginally increased under 50–150 N loads and increased rapidly under a load of 200 N, slightly higher than at 20°C. At 400°C, the wear loss decreased under loads of 50–100 N, slightly increased and had the lowest value under loads of 100–200 N, and finally increased rapidly at loads above 200 N. The prevailing oxidative mild wear and the lowest wear loss at 400°C were attributed to the protective effect of tribo- oxides.