Dry friction between seal faces, caused by unstable or extreme operating conditions, significantly affects the running stability and service life of mechanical seals. Therefore, in this work, nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) coatings were prepared on the surface of silicon carbide (SiC) seal rings by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). The friction test results under dry environment reveals that the coefficient of friction (COF) of SiC-NCD seal pairs is about 0.07-0.09, which were reduced by 83-86% compared to SiC-SiC seal pairs. The wear rate of SiC-NCD seal pairs is relatively low, ranging from 1.13 × 10-7 mm3/N·m to 3.26 × 10-7 mm3/N·m under different test conditions, which is due to the fact that the NCD coatings prevent adhesive and abrasive wear between the SiC seal rings. The analysis and observation of the wear tracks illustrate that the excellent tribological performance of the SiC-NCD seal pairs is due to a self-lubricating amorphous layer formed on the worn surface. In conclusion, this work highlights a pathway to enable mechanical seals to satisfy the high application requirements under highly parametric working conditions.
Keywords: dry friction; mechanical seals; nano-diamond coatings; silicon carbide.