Abrasion Resistance of S235, S355, C45, AISI 304 and Hardox 500 Steels with Usage of Garnet, Corundum and Carborundum Abrasives

The steel presents a wide field of application. The abrasive wear resistance of steel relies mainly on the microstructure, hardness as well as on the abrasive material properties. Moreover, the selection of a abrasion-resistant grade of steel still seems to be a crucial and unsolved problem, especially due to the fact that the actual operating conditions can be affected by the presence of different abrasive materials. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of different abrasive grit materials i.e. garnet, corundum and carborundum on the abrasive wear result of a commonly used in industry practice steels i.e. S235, S355, C45, AISI 304 and Hardox 500. The microstructure of the steel was investigated using light optical microscopy. Moreover, hardness was measured with Vickers hardness tester. Additionally, the size and morphology of the abrasive materials were characterized. The abrasion tests were conducted with the usage of T-07 tribotester (dry sand rubber wheel). The results demonstrate that the hardness and structure of steels and hardness of abrasive grids influenced the wear results. The abrasive wear behavior of steels was dominated by microscratching and microcutting wear mechanisms. The highest mass loss was obtained for garnet, corundum, and carborundum, respectively. The usage of various abrasives results in different abrasion resistance for each tested steel grade. The AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel presents an outstanding abrasive wear resistance while usage of corundum and Hardox 500 while using a garnet as abrasive material. The C45 carbon steel was less resistant than AISI 304 for all three examined abrasives. The lowest resistance to wear in garnet and carborundum was obtained for the S235JR and S355J2 ferritic-perlitic carbon steels and in corundum for Hardox 500 which has tempered martensitic structure.