Friction and Wear Behavior of Steels under Different Reciprocating Sliding Conditions

The friction and wear behavior of ISO 100Cr6 steel ball sliding against conventionally hardened carbon and low-alloy steels was studied. The effect of hardness, hardening capacity, normal load, and sliding speed on the coefficient of friction and friction energy was investigated. Friction tests were carried out, without lubrication and under ambient conditions, on a reciprocating friction tester in which a ball-on-flat contact configuration was adopted. The results showed that there is a relative tendency for the friction properties to decrease with increased hardening capacity and decreased hardness. The results showed that increasing normal load decreases the coefficient of friction for the two steel nuances. However, increasing sliding speed increases the coefficient of friction of low-alloy steel and decreases the coefficient of friction of carbon steel. The oxidation of wear debris influences the wear mechanisms and friction behavior.