Abstract
The effects of microstructure on fretting wear were investigated in Inconel 690 tube. The microstructure observation indicated that the solution annealing temperature and time affected the grain size of the Inconel 690 tubes. The carbide morphology, along grain boundaries, was mainly affected by thermal treatment time and temperature. The wear test results showed that specimens with larger grain size and with coarse carbides along grain boundaries had better wear resistance. Cracks were found in specimens with carbides along the grain boundary, while few cracks were found in carbide free specimens. It seemed that the carbides on grain boundary assisted crack formation and propagation in carbide containing specimens. On the other hand, the micro-hardness of specimen did not have a major role in fretting wear. It could be inferred from the SEM images of worn surfaces that the main wear mechanism of carbide containing specimen was delamination, while that of carbide free specimen was abrasion.
