Wear particles of single-crystal silicon carbide in vacuum

Sliding friction experiments, conducted in vacuum with silicon carbide /000/ surface in contact with iron based binary alloys are described. Multiangular and spherical wear particles of silicon carbide are observed as a result of multipass sliding. The multiangular particles are produced by primary and secondary cracking of cleavage planes /000/, /10(-1)0/, and /11(-2)0/ under the Hertzian stress field or local inelastic deformation zone. The spherical particles may be produced by two mechanisms: (1) a penny shaped fracture along the circular stress trajectories under the local inelastic deformation zone, and (2) attrition of wear particles.