Abstract
Increasing requirements for higher power densities and further miniaturisation in microsystem technology result in highly loaded micromechanical systems. Regarding these applications, the friction and wear behaviour of self-mated Si3N4 ceramic and WC-Co hardmetal has been characterized in laboratory micro tribometers. Experiments under unidirectional sliding and rolling conditions were carried out in air of 50% relative humidity as well as lubricated with water. Results from the model tests were used as input dataset for a numerical simulation tool Global Incremental Wear Model (GIWM) to predict volumetric wear as a function of operating conditions. The laboratory tests indicated that WC-Co as well as Si3N4 are applicable for microsystems running in water, due to their high wear resistance and low friction coefficient. Furthermore it was shown, that the numerical simulation can help to reduce the experimental effort by reliable predicting wear under different operating conditions, provided that the active wear mechanisms are comparable.
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