Tribological characteristics of metallic glass in sliding contact: Experimental investigations and molecular dynamics simulations

The unlubricated sliding characteristics of zirconium-based bulk metallic glass disks have been examined in vacuum and in air using sliders made from the same material or from a hard bearing steel (52100). The pin-on-disk test system allowed collection of debris, monitoring of the friction force and, using a Kelvin probe, in situ detection of changes in the structure and chemical composition of the disk surface. Friction coefficient and wear rate of metallic glass were found to vary with normal load, sliding velocity and test environment. Post-test characterization included microhardness testing, X-ray diffraction, SEM and EDS. Examination of worn surfaces, cross-sections and debris confirmed the importance of plastic deformation, material transfer and environmental interactions. When devitrified material was tested, sliding processes caused the near-surface material to re-amorphize. Results from sliding of bulk metallic glass specimens were compared with those from related experiments involving crystalline metals and alloys. Although bulk metallic glasses are reported to have only limited ductility in tensile tests, the friction coefficients and worn surfaces of these materials are typical of ductile materials.; Molecular dynamics (MD) calculations were used to simulate the sliding of a 2D 2-component amorphous system interacting via Lennard-Jones potentials. The friction coefficient showed a transient before reaching an average steady state value. The steady state friction coefficient was observed to decrease with an increasing sliding velocity. Mixing was observed at the sliding interface. The mixed layer grew at a rate that scaled with the square root of time. A density decrease was recorded in the region adjacent to the sliding interface. This spatially corresponded to the softer layer detected experimentally near the worn surface in a Zr_41.2Ti_13.8Cu_12.5Ni _10.0Be_22.5 bulk metallic glass alloy after sliding. Subsurface displacement profiles produced in these simulations were similar to those observed in other material systems. The Navier-Stokes equation was used to analyze the material flow pattern, with results in agreement with data obtained from simulations. This suggests that the observed subsurface displacement profile may be a generic material flow pattern under combined compression and shear.