Surface Characterization, High‐Temperature Tribological Properties of Cu‐Based Tungsten Developed through Microwave Radiations

Microwave processing is an innovative and sustainable technique characterized by its unique heating properties, significant energy efficiency, shorter processing times, and environmentally friendly nature. This study aims to improve copper (Cu) powder‐based metal–matrix composites (MMCs) by adding tungsten (W) powder in weight fractions of 5% to 15%, using microwave heating at 900 W and 2.45 GHz. To achieve uniform melting and heating of the Cu‐based powders, microwave hybrid heating is used. A high‐temperature tribometer is used to test the tribological performance of the copper metal–matrix composite (Cu‐MMC) at 400 °C against an EN31 disc. At 400 °C, the Cu‐MMC's worn surfaces show unique properties that result in significant variations in tribological behavior. The coefficient of friction increases minimally from 0.593 to 0.63 at this temperature. Pure copper exhibits a significant increase in weight loss at 400 °C, the composite reinforced with 15%W (Cu+15%W) demonstrates superior wear resistance under the same conditions. The development of intermetallic phases and the uniform dispersion of W particles significantly enhance the mechanical characteristics of the composites. 15% W reinforcement enhanced the composite's Vickers microhardness to 2.38 times that of pure microwave‐processed copper, indicating its superior mechanical performance.