Dry-sliding wear studies of Fe3Al-ordered intermetallic alloy

Room temperature dry-sliding wear behavior of iron aluminides (Fe–28 at.% Al–3 at.% Cr) has been investigated using a ball on plate wear tester. The aluminides were heat treated to produce an ordered DO3 structure. It was found that the wear rate of the aluminides increased with an increase in applied normal load and sliding speed. The wear rates of the aluminides were also found to decrease with an increase in sliding distance. SEM observation of the worn surface showed that microploughing, microcutting and surface delamination were the dominant sliding wear mechanisms.