A comparative friction and wear study of diamond and diamond-like carbon films against Cu

The wear of diamond in the drawing of ultra-fine metal wire leads to wire fracture and surface roughening, which inspires us to explore new pathways to solve problems. This study mimics the frictional behaviors of diamond and diamond-like carbon during the metal drawing process, and comparatively examines their frictional behaviors paired with Cu balls. When diamond-like carbon slide against the balls, the formation of a continuous and graphitized transfer film reduced friction and wear in the wide range of sliding velocities. Conversely, high friction and wear of diamond are primarily attributed to the presence of discontinuous and oxidized transfer films. The distinctive frictional behavior of diamond-like carbon contributes to effectively preventing problems such as wire breakage and uneven wire formation.