Microstructural evolution, tribological and corrosion behavior of spark plasma sintering-processed Cu-h-BN-316L SS hybrid composites
ARCHIVES OF CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, cilt.26, sa.6, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 26 Sayı: 6
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s43452-026-01655-7
- Dergi Adı: ARCHIVES OF CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS), Compendex, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Copper-based composites are commonly employed in a wide range of engineering applications due to their excellent electrical and thermal conductivity; however, their relatively low wear resistance and insufficient corrosion performance limit their effectiveness in demanding tribological and electrochemical environments. In this work, Cu matrix hybrid composites were fabricated using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method, incorporating a constant amount of 1 wt% hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) together with varying proportions of 5, 10, and 15 wt% 316 L stainless steel particles. The resulting composites were systematically characterized in terms of their microstructural, mechanical, tribological, and corrosion properties. Microstructural observations indicated that the 316 L stainless steel particles were evenly distributed within the copper matrix, while the h-BN phase served as a solid lubricant within the composite structure. XRD analysis confirmed that copper was the dominant phase across all samples, and that the diffraction peaks associated with 316 L overlapped with those of the Cu matrix. As the 316 L content increased, the hardness values showed a notable rise from 62.15 HB to 124.33 HB. Tribological evaluations revealed that both the coefficient of friction and the specific wear rate decreased significantly with increasing reinforcement content, with the composite containing 15 wt% 316 L demonstrating the best performance. Electrochemical measurements further showed that the addition of 316 L stainless steel markedly improved the corrosion resistance of the composites, as evidenced by a decrease in corrosion current density from 43.2 & micro;A.cm-2 to 1.54 & micro;A.cm-2 and a reduction in corrosion rate from 37.45 mpy to 1.34 mpy. Detailed examination of the worn and corroded surfaces suggested that these enhancements in tribological and electrochemical behavior were primarily due to the load-bearing contribution of the 316 L particles, the lubricating effect of h-BN, and the formation of a protective passive oxide layer on the surface.