In situ and ex situ analysis of the reciprocating sliding wear behavior of cold sprayed CrMnCoFeNi Cantor HEA coatings in dry air and ambient air conditions

In situ and ex situ analysis of the reciprocating sliding wear behavior of cold sprayed CrMnCoFeNi Cantor HEA coatings in dry air and ambient air conditions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article In situ and ex situ analysis of the reciprocating sliding wear behavior of cold sprayed CrMnCoFeNi Cantor HEA coatings in dry air and ambient air conditions Maya M. Harfouche, Sima A. Alidokht, Richard R. Chromik This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6779397/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 30 Sep, 2025 Read the published version in Tribology Letters → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study examined and compared the tribological properties of a cold-sprayed CrMnCoFeNi high entropy alloy (Cantor alloy) coating under ambient and dry air conditions. Tribological testing was conducted using an in situ tribometer equipped with video microscopy, allowing real-time monitoring of the evolution of the sliding interfaces through a transparent sapphire counterface. This experimental setup provided the opportunity to observe phenomena that would otherwise remain concealed between the contacting bodies. The wear rate was 1.8 ± 0.5×10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm in ambient air and 7.5 ± 0.7×10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm in dry air. In situ tribometry allowed third body activities to be observed and correlated with the wear results. In dry air, the velocity accommodation mode was characterized by interfacial sliding of a static transfer film against the wear track, resulting in a stable steady-state coefficient of friction (CoF) of 0.5. In contrast, ambient air conditions led to an average CoF of 0.8, with fluctuations attributed to plastic shearing of the transfer film observed in situ. The higher humidity in ambient air inhibited cold welding of wear particles, resulting in a less stable transfer film that underwent removal or extrusion events, which were associated with sudden drops in CoF. Additionally, a "metal debris" oxide formation mechanism was observed in ambient air, contributing to the formation of a protective tribofilm and a reduction in the wear rate. In dry air, the "oxidation-scrape-reoxidation" mechanism dominated, facilitated by the absence of adsorbed water droplets. This resulted in an increased wear rate under dry conditions. CrMnCoFeNi Cantor High Entropy Alloy tribology wear in situ cold spray Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 30 Sep, 2025 Read the published version in Tribology Letters → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 06 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 03 Jun, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 03 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 29 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6779397","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":467880721,"identity":"eea01f9f-acb2-4c21-9d76-f4d32e665a19","order_by":0,"name":"Maya M. 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Tribological testing was conducted using an in situ tribometer equipped with video microscopy, allowing real-time monitoring of the evolution of the sliding interfaces through a transparent sapphire counterface. This experimental setup provided the opportunity to observe phenomena that would otherwise remain concealed between the contacting bodies. The wear rate was 1.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.5\u0026times;10⁻⁴ mm\u0026sup3;/Nm in ambient air and 7.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.7\u0026times;10⁻⁴ mm\u0026sup3;/Nm in dry air. In situ tribometry allowed third body activities to be observed and correlated with the wear results.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn dry air, the velocity accommodation mode was characterized by interfacial sliding of a static transfer film against the wear track, resulting in a stable steady-state coefficient of friction (CoF) of 0.5. In contrast, ambient air conditions led to an average CoF of 0.8, with fluctuations attributed to plastic shearing of the transfer film observed in situ. The higher humidity in ambient air inhibited cold welding of wear particles, resulting in a less stable transfer film that underwent removal or extrusion events, which were associated with sudden drops in CoF. Additionally, a \"metal debris\" oxide formation mechanism was observed in ambient air, contributing to the formation of a protective tribofilm and a reduction in the wear rate. In dry air, the \"oxidation-scrape-reoxidation\" mechanism dominated, facilitated by the absence of adsorbed water droplets. 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