Friction and wear behavior of Cu–CeO2 nanocomposite coatings synthesized by pulsed electrodeposition

The friction and wear behavior of copper matrix nanocomposites reinforced with nanosized ceria particles, synthesized by pulse electrocodeposition technique, have been investigated. Tests have been carried out under dry sliding conditions by rubbing against a steel ball at varying loads ranging from 4 to 20 N and at constant speed of 11 rpm using a ball-on-disk wear tester. The experimental results indicate that the wear resistance of copper composite is superior to that of pure copper at all the loads and it improves with the increasing amount of ceria in the copper matrix. The friction coefficient and wear rates increase with the increase in applied load. When the load increases from 4 to 20 N, the transition of wear regime from local damage to delamination of a mechanically mixed layer (MML) occurs.