Phenomenological modeling of wear mechanisms between nickel-based superalloy blades and ceramic-based abradable coatings in turbomachines

The tribological behavior and wear mechanism between K417G nickel-based superalloy blades and 8 wt% yttriastabilized zirconia poly-p-hydroxybenzoate ceramic-based abradable coatings were investigated using a highspeed rubbing test machine simulating actual operating conditions. Two main influencing factors (linear velocity and incursion rate) were varied, and their effects on the system were determined. The wear mechanism of the system was attempted to be characterized. A significant correlation was found between all test results and the linear velocity, indicating that the linear velocity was the primary influence driving the friction. The incursion rate became a secondary factor. A linear mathematical model based on the proposed wear mechanism was developed to explain the wear mechanism and to predict the test results. The excellent fit and normally distributed residual results indicated the excellent performance of the model. This work can be used as an aid to understanding the present results and as a basis for further research on these phenomena in the future.