Coupled effect of scratching direction and speed on nano-scratching behavior of single crystalline copper

The exhibited friction and wear performance of materials are closely related to scratching direction and speed at grain level. A crystal plasticity finite element model simulating nano-scratching process is developed. Experimental results of nano-indentation and nano-scratching are in well agreement with corresponding simulation results. Significant effect of scratching direction and speed on the friction and wear performance of single crystalline copper is observed. Specifically, simulation study reveals that scratching along the [110] direction is conducive to reducing the wear of (001)-oriented single crystalline copper, increasing ploughing coefficient in the meanwhile. The wear performance is improved with the increase in scratching speed, and the ploughing coefficient decreases as scratching speed increases.