Effect of niobium addition on the microstructure and wear properties of mechanical alloyed Cu–Al–Ni shape memory alloy

In this study, the influence of the addition of Nb in varying amounts (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 wt.%) to Cu–14Al–4Ni shape memory alloy on the microstructure and wear behavior of the alloy was investigated. Cu–Al–Ni-xNb alloys were produced from elemental powders using the mechanical alloying (MA) method. The microstructures of the produced samples were examined using SEM + EDS and XRD, and density and hardness measurements were performed. For the wear tests of Cu–14Al–4Ni and alloys containing different amounts of Nb, a pin-on-disk type wear testing device was used with three different loads (10 N, 20 N, and 30 N) and five different sliding distances (400 m, 800 m, 1,200 m, 1,600 m, and 2000 m). As a result of the conducted research, it was determined that an increase in the Nb content resulted in a decrease in the average grain size and a more homogeneous grain size distribution. The highest hardness and density values were measured in the alloy with 2 wt.% Nb addition. In the wear tests, it was observed that the friction coefficients decreased with increasing load, and the lowest wear rate was achieved in the alloy with 2 wt.% Nb addition.