Effect of ductility on dry sliding wear of medium carbon steel under low load conditions

The room-temperature dry sliding wear behavior of AI SI 1045 steel has been investigated with the aim of clarifying the effect of ductility on wear Sliding wear tests were carried out in the air using a pin-on-disk wear tester with loads ranging from 4 to 12 N The specimen with higher ductility showed a lower wear rate than the specimen with lower ductility though their hardness values are similar SEM observations of worn surfaces revealed that the wear begins with a microploughmg process, which was followed by steady surface-platelet formation and its detachment Microscopic observations of the wearing surfaces as a function of sliding distance clearly proved that higher ductility leads to delayed formation of the wear sheets together with their delayed detachment, which resulted in lower wear rates. It was found microscopically that ductility, rather than hardness, is a major controlling factor in determining wear rate when the wear proceeds through surface-platelet formation and its detachment.