Assessment of Tribological Characteristics of CoCrW and CoCrMo Alloys

Cobalt–chromium (CoCr)-based alloys have been used for wear applications because of their excellent mechanical properties and wear resistance. With growing concern over environmental problems, CoCr alloys are expected to be used for various tribological applications in degraded lubrication states. To expand the applicability of the materials, data should be accumulated across a broad spectrum of experimental parameters. In this work, the friction and wear characteristics of cobalt–chromium–tungsten (CoCrW) and cobalt–chromium–molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloys are investigated experimentally. The tests are conducted using a pin-on-reciprocating-plate tribo-tester in dry lubrication. CoCrW and CoCrMo are used as pin and plate materials to investigate the effect of the counter material. The results show that the friction coefficients between CoCrW and CoCrMo generally range from 0.4 to 0.5. The friction coefficient between the CoCrW pin and plate is found to be slightly small. However, the total wear between the CoCrW pin and plate is found to be the largest. In contrast, the total wear between the CoCrW pin and plate is relatively small. Furthermore, CoCrW may cause a faster wear progression of CoCrMo, especially for the case in which CoCrMo is used as the pin material. The results of this work provide a better understanding of the tribological properties of CoCrW and CoCrMo alloys. In addition, this work provides a practical guideline for the use of CoCrW and CoCrMo from the tribological design viewpoint