Wear characteristics and sustainability of WS 2 solid lubricant deposited layer on Al 6061-T6 substrate under the dry sliding conditions

Abstract

This research investigates the tribological characteristics and sustainability of WS₂ deposited Al 6061-T6 surface under dry sliding conditions and optimizes the wear parameters to enhance the tribological behaviour and discuss its sustainability. The experiment used the Box–Behnken design, which examines the effective interaction between dry sliding parameters and specific wear rate (SWR) and friction coefficient (COF). By varying the load (L), sliding velocity (V) and distance (D), the wear behaviour of WS₂ deposition against EN 31 steel was examined through the pin-on-disc experiment. Grooving, debris formation, polishing, tribolayer, ploughing, transfer material, smearing, delamination and pitting are observed through scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. For optimum conditions, SEM with energy dispersive spectroscopy was utilized to characterize the worn surface, and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the phases of W, WO₃, WS₂, Al, AlO, Al₂S₃ and Al₄C₃.