Effects of Microstructure Evolution on Fretting Wear Behaviors of 25CrNi2MoVE Steel under Different Tempering States

Increasing load requirements and harsh operating conditions have worsened the wear of drive shafts in special field vehicles. In this paper, the evolution of the microstructure and fretting wear behaviors of 25CrNi2MoVE torsion shaft steel and their influence on the wear mechanisms were investigated as a function of tempering temperature. The results showed that the coarse grain size, low matrix hardness and non-metallic inclusions in the as-received state lead to a high wear rate and serious adhesive wear. The grain refinement after normalizing and the formed M5C2 carbide and bainite helped to improve the wear resistance and worn surface quality. Low temperature tempering is conducive to further improve the wear resistance of normalized samples, and the wear rate and worn surface roughness are increased gradually after tempering temperature increases. For quenching, although martensite structure can achieve a lower wear rate, the coefficient of friction is much higher; the wear mechanisms are primarily fatigue wear and adhesive wear. Although the adhesive wear degree and worn surface roughness were increased, the optimal anti-wear performances are obtained under tempering at 350 °C with good continuity of the surface oxide film. Excessive tempering temperature will make the softened matrix unable to form a beneficial “third-body wear”.