The purpose of this study is to compare the dynamic evolution of fretting and sliding wear mechanisms to reveal fundamental differences in surface damage progression.
Fretting (D = 100 µm) and sliding (D = 400 µm) tests were performed on a custom ball-on-plate tribometer using nickel-aluminum bronze (NAB) blocks sliding against GCr15 steel balls. Wear morphology and mechanisms were characterized using 3D optical microscopy and FE-SEM with EDS elemental analysis, etc.
Fretting wear progresses through three stages: Initial (=10² cycles): Two-body wear leads to the fracture of oxide film and production of metallic fragments; Middle (10² – 3 × 104 cycles): Mechanical fragmentation produces fibrous debris and subsurface microcracks. Final (3 × 104–6 × 104 cycles): Severe oxidative wear forms continuous third body layers with crack-induced delamination. Sliding wear exhibits sustained plastic deformation, producing minimally oxidized flake debris that forms thin, discontinuous third body layers. This stands in stark contrast to the highly oxidized debris observed in fretting wear. Notably, sliding wear rates decline progressively, while fretting rates first increase then decrease.
This study focuses on elucidating the distinct dynamic evolution of surface damage in nickelaluminum bronze (NAB) under dry friction, comparing fretting and sliding wear modes. A three-stage model for fretting wear is proposed, characterized by “mechanical fragment formation, wear debris evolution, and oxidative dominance.” In contrast, the sliding wear process is found to be primarily governed by a mechanism of “continuous plastic deformation followed by debris accumulation.”
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2025-0379/
