Friction and Wear Mechanisms of 316L Stainless Steel in Dry Sliding Contact: Effect of Abrasive Particle Size

The present work investigates the dry sliding friction and wear behavior of 316L austenitic stainless steel. Wear tests are performed on a pin-on-plane configuration against abrasive silicon carbide grains ranging from very large (200 mu m) to small (15 mu m) particles. The experiments are conducted at room temperature under different normal loads of 25-75 N. The wear damage mechanisms and wear debris are analysed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations. It is shown that for small abrasive particles, the friction coefficients increase with increasing normal load. However, for large abrasive particles, a reverse trend is observed. This difference is partly explained by a change in wear mechanisms. Finally, surface roughness measurment of the worn surfaces are performed after wear tests. The relationship between the 3D fractal dimension and wear rate is investigated based on fractal theory. The 3D fractal analysis of the worn surfaces showed that higher values of fractal dimensions indicate a larger real contact area and therefore a better wear resistance of the 316L stainless steel.