Wear mechanisms of structural steels and effect of wear on their mechanical and acoustic properties during tension

Optical and scanning electron microscopy have been used to study the wear mechanisms of structural steels with various structures and strengths, as well as to assess their mechanical and acoustic properties after friction. The prevailing wear mechanisms have been revealed; they are governed by the strength and structure of the steels and involve the refinement and rotation of grains, the formation of parallel rows of microcracks, the strain dissolution of cementite, and martensitic transformation, as well as the formation of seizure sites in the friction contact zone, shear and intergranular pores, and microcracks. The low-carbon steel with a ultrafine-grained structure has demonstrated a high wear resistance. Friction for 3000 h had a weak effect on the mechanical properties of the steels during tension.