On the tribocorrosion behavior of 304L stainless steel in olive pomace/tap water filtrate

Tribocorrosion is a concern in the operation of centrifuges used in olive oil separation from seeds. An investigation was conducted on the tribocorrosion behavior of AISI 304L stainless steel, a typical centrifuge material, sliding against alumina in a mixture of olive pomace and tap water filtrate. A specially-configured pin-on-disc tribometer was used to couple electrochemical analyses with wear tests. The active and passive surface states involved in the tribocorrosion mechanisms for the steel are discussed. Mechanical and corrosion contributions to wear, which acted on the active and repassivated areas of the wear track, were quantified. Abrasive wear dominated in the AISI 304L. It was also found that the steel was more sensitive to tribocorrosion under intermittent sliding than continuous sliding •Tribocorrosion tests were performed on stainless steel sliding against alumina.•Both the tribological and electrochemical responses of the contact were studied.•Increasing latency time (interrupted sliding) affected the tribocorrosion behavior.•In intermittent sliding the wear track alternates between active and passive states.