The Effect of Kappa Phases on Tribocorrosion Behaviour of Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminum Bronze (MAB)
Nickel aluminum bronze (NAB) and manganese aluminum bronze (MAB) are widely used in propulsion and seawater handling systems in naval platforms due to their attractive combination of mechanical strength, toughness, and very low susceptibility to marine corrosion. Nevertheless, it is well known that...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Carlos Berlanga-Labari Adrián Claver María Victoria Biezma-Moraleda José Fernández-Palacio |
| author_facet | Carlos Berlanga-Labari Adrián Claver María Victoria Biezma-Moraleda José Fernández-Palacio |
| author_sort | Carlos Berlanga-Labari |
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| description | Nickel aluminum bronze (NAB) and manganese aluminum bronze (MAB) are widely used in propulsion and seawater handling systems in naval platforms due to their attractive combination of mechanical strength, toughness, and very low susceptibility to marine corrosion. Nevertheless, it is well known that they can suffer from selective phase corrosion and erosion–corrosion, primarily caused by cavitation and sand erosion. Both alloys have a multiphase microstructure that governs their mechanical and chemical behavior. The tribocorrosion behavior of cast NAB and MAB alloys was studied in artificial seawater to analyze the effect on microstructure. The microstructure and nanohardness were evaluated and correlated with tribocorrosion test results conducted under two different loads (10 and 40 N) in a unidirectional sliding mode using a 1 M NaCl solution as the electrolyte. A significant increase in the corrosion rate due to the wear effect was observed in both alloys. MAB exhibited a slightly better tribocorrosion performance than NAB, which was attributed to significant differences in the shape, distribution, and size of the intermetallic kappa phases—rich in iron, aluminum, and nickel—within the microstructure. Pitting corrosion was observed in NAB, while selective corrosion of kappa phases occurred in MAB, highlighting the role of the protective layer in the tribocorrosion behavior of both alloys. These findings were supported by post-test solution analysis using ICP-AES and corrosion product characterization by EDX. A synergistic effect between wear and corrosion was confirmed for both alloys, as erosion removes the protective layer, exposing fresh material to continuous friction and favoring a progressive material loss over time. The practical impact of this study lies in improving the control and design of highly alloyed bronze microstructures under in-service corrosion–erosion conditions. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Lubricants |
| spelling | doaj-art-2804cfb34932436780bb168fc6ecad6b2025-08-20T03:58:27ZengMDPI AGLubricants2075-44422025-06-0113729010.3390/lubricants13070290The Effect of Kappa Phases on Tribocorrosion Behaviour of Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminum Bronze (MAB)Carlos Berlanga-Labari0Adrián Claver1María Victoria Biezma-Moraleda2José Fernández-Palacio3Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics (INAMAT<sup>2</sup>), Public University of Navarre, Campus Arrosadía s/n, 31006 Pamplona, SpainInstitute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics (INAMAT<sup>2</sup>), Public University of Navarre, Campus Arrosadía s/n, 31006 Pamplona, SpainDepartamento de Ciencia e Ingeniería del Terreno y de los Materiales, Universidad de Cantabria, 39004 Santander, SpainCentre of Advanced Surface Engineering, AIN, Cordovilla, 31191 Pamplona, SpainNickel aluminum bronze (NAB) and manganese aluminum bronze (MAB) are widely used in propulsion and seawater handling systems in naval platforms due to their attractive combination of mechanical strength, toughness, and very low susceptibility to marine corrosion. Nevertheless, it is well known that they can suffer from selective phase corrosion and erosion–corrosion, primarily caused by cavitation and sand erosion. Both alloys have a multiphase microstructure that governs their mechanical and chemical behavior. The tribocorrosion behavior of cast NAB and MAB alloys was studied in artificial seawater to analyze the effect on microstructure. The microstructure and nanohardness were evaluated and correlated with tribocorrosion test results conducted under two different loads (10 and 40 N) in a unidirectional sliding mode using a 1 M NaCl solution as the electrolyte. A significant increase in the corrosion rate due to the wear effect was observed in both alloys. MAB exhibited a slightly better tribocorrosion performance than NAB, which was attributed to significant differences in the shape, distribution, and size of the intermetallic kappa phases—rich in iron, aluminum, and nickel—within the microstructure. Pitting corrosion was observed in NAB, while selective corrosion of kappa phases occurred in MAB, highlighting the role of the protective layer in the tribocorrosion behavior of both alloys. These findings were supported by post-test solution analysis using ICP-AES and corrosion product characterization by EDX. A synergistic effect between wear and corrosion was confirmed for both alloys, as erosion removes the protective layer, exposing fresh material to continuous friction and favoring a progressive material loss over time. The practical impact of this study lies in improving the control and design of highly alloyed bronze microstructures under in-service corrosion–erosion conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/13/7/290NABMABkappa phasestribocorrosionnanohardness |
| spellingShingle | Carlos Berlanga-Labari Adrián Claver María Victoria Biezma-Moraleda José Fernández-Palacio The Effect of Kappa Phases on Tribocorrosion Behaviour of Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminum Bronze (MAB) Lubricants NAB MAB kappa phases tribocorrosion nanohardness |
| title | The Effect of Kappa Phases on Tribocorrosion Behaviour of Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminum Bronze (MAB) |
| title_full | The Effect of Kappa Phases on Tribocorrosion Behaviour of Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminum Bronze (MAB) |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Kappa Phases on Tribocorrosion Behaviour of Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminum Bronze (MAB) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Kappa Phases on Tribocorrosion Behaviour of Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminum Bronze (MAB) |
| title_short | The Effect of Kappa Phases on Tribocorrosion Behaviour of Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminum Bronze (MAB) |
| title_sort | effect of kappa phases on tribocorrosion behaviour of nickel aluminum bronze nab and manganese aluminum bronze mab |
| topic | NAB MAB kappa phases tribocorrosion nanohardness |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/13/7/290 |
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