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 degrees C. The applied contact stress was 55 MPa and the maximum sliding distance was 18 m. In the temperature range from 25 to 200 degrees 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 degrees C, but at 450 degrees 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 degrees C. However, at 450 degrees 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 degrees C, the steady state friction coefficient did not change significantly. Above 300 degrees C, the steady state friction coefficient decreased due to the oxide layers that formed on the worn surfaces during wear.