Effects of temperature and sliding distance on the wear behavior of austenitic Fe-Cr-C-Si hardfacing alloy

The effects of temperature and sliding distance on the metal-to-metal wear behavior of austenitic Fe-20Cr-1.7C-1Si hardfacing alloy were investigated in air in the temperature range from 25 to 450 °C. The applied contact stress was 55 MPa and the maximum sliding distance was 18 m. In the temperature range from 25 to 200 °C, the weight loss increased linearly with increasing sliding distance. The weight loss increased parabolically with increasing sliding distance up to 18 m at 300 °C, but at 450 °C, the weight loss drastically increased from the beginning of the wear test and became almost saturated above a sliding distance of 3.6 m. The initial friction coefficient was not changed with temperature up to 300 °C. However, at 450 °C, the initial friction coefficient increased abruptly. It was thought to be due to the increasing tendency of adhesive bonding to occur between the two self-mating specimens. At temperatures below 200 °C, the steady state friction coefficient did not change significantly. Above 300 °C, the steady state friction coefficient decreased due to the oxide layers that formed on the worn surfaces during wear.