The oxidational wear of low alloy steels

This paper is concerned with measuring the oxidational wear of EN8 steel and EN31 steel pins sliding at a speed (U) of 2 m/s against EN8 steel disks, the surface temperatures (TDS) of the disks being held at various temperatures between 60 and 500degreesC. The applied. loads (W) were varied between about 5 N and 150 N. The main objectives of the research were (i) To use a tribometer specially designed for continuously measuring the experimental division of heat (DE) at the sliding interface as well as measuring the experimental wear rate (WREXPT) of the pin, (ii)To compare (DE) with the theoretical division of heat (DTH) and, using an iterative technique, thereby obtain a value for the instantaneous number (N) of asperity contacts at that interface, the assumption being that it is at these contacts that the wear occurs, (iii) To compare the experimental wear rate (WREXPT) of EN8 steel pins sliding against EN8 steel disks with the theoretical wear rate (WRTH), calculated in terms of the number of contacts (N) and other parameters relevant to the oxidational wear model, to obtain appropriate values for the tribological oxidational constants required to make (WRTH) equal to the experimental wear rate (WREXPT) by means of another iterative technique, (iv) To discuss how one might use these constants to predict the oxidational wear rates (WRTH) of EN31 pins against EN8 steel disks, using an identical tribometer. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.