Investigation of high temperature wear behavior of aluminized inconel 601 supperalloy

Apart from their resistance to corrosive environments, nickel-based superalloys are also required to exhibit moderate wear resistance for components in relative motion in high temperature environments. In this study, Inconel-601 superalloy sample surfaces were subjected to package-aluminizing heat treatment at 700℃ for a 4-hour treatment period. The microstructural changes in the produced samples were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the phase structures of the treated surfaces were investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The effect of thermochemical surface hardening on the high temperature tribological performance of the produced samples was carried out on the Pin On Disk wear device under 7N and 15N loads at room temperature and 400℃ respectively. Microhardness and nanohardness measurements were also made on the sample sections. High temperature wear tests showed that thermochemical surface hardening reduced the specific wear rates by about 39%, 38%, 49% and 51% under room temperature- 7 N, room temperature- 15 N, 400℃- 7 N and 400℃- 15 N, respectively. Heat treatment increased the microhardness and nanohardness of the samples by about 382% and 394%, respectively. The increase in wear performance and hardness values is mainly attributed to the formation of hard aluminide phases after heat treatment.