Effect of graphite addition on the tribological properties of pure titanium carbonitride prepared by spark plasma sintering

Abstract: Titanium carbonitride (TiCN) based cermet has received extensive attention as important components substantially utilized in cutting tools, milling operations and in sliding bearings. Recently, conventional WC-Co based hard alloys are being replaced with TiCN based cermets accompanied with the trend of high speed machining. These materials are considered potential candidate for a variety of tribological applications. In this study, the effects of graphite additions on titanium carbonitride (TiCN) based cermet were investigated. This involved consolidation of TiC0.7TiN0.3 composition of pure TiCN based cermet and/with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt % graphite using spark plasma sintering (SPS). The comparative studies on the tribological behaviours of the TiCN based cermets with graphite additions were performed using ball on disc set up at ambient temperature. Results show that the presence of different composition of graphite influences the microstructures of TiCN. In addition, a change in wear response of the sintered compacts was observed