Tribological Behavior of Titanium-Sintered Composites with Ring-Shaped TiN Dispersoids

The wide applicability of titanium (Ti) has prompted the analysis to improve its mechanical strength through the addition of different alloying elements. Among these, Ti materials with pre-mixed pure Ti and titanium nitride (TiN) powders as the starting materials have exhibited improved mechanical properties and tribological performance. In this study, the tribological properties of Ti matrix composites with ring-shaped TiN dispersoids were evaluated. The materials were fabricated from pre-mixed pure Ti powder and core–shell structured Ti–(N) powder, which were prepared by heat treatment at 1273 K under N2 gas. The tribological behavior of the Ti–TiN composites was studied by varying the applied load using a ball-on-disk wear test under oil lubrication conditions. The initial familiarity period of the Ti–TiN composites decreased. Subsequently, compared to the pure Ti specimen employed as a reference material, the friction coefficient was significantly lower and more stable. This is attributed to the ring-shaped, hard TiN dispersoids, which prevented the adhesion phenomenon and improved the oil film formability owing to the increase in microhardness and abrasive wear resistance of the nitrogen solid solution in the core region.