Effect of Temperature on Friction and Wear Behavior under Reciprocating Dry Sliding of AISI 52100 Steel against AISI H13 Steel

Abstract Previous work about the effect of temperature on friction and wear of dry steel-on-steel sliding tests showed a transition from severe wear to mild wear. Nevertheless, in dissimilar counterpart materials, the mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics generate differences in friction and wear behavior. In this work, experimental tests were conducted in an SRV-4 tribometer using a ball-on-disk configuration (i.e., nonconformal contact). The selected materials were AISI 52100 bearing steel balls and AISI H13 steel disks, which are used in different engineering applications. Frequency, load, and stroke length parameters were fixed, and analyses refer to the effect of different times and temperatures. The results of friction coefficient above 300°C showed 2 friction regimes as a function of test time. In the first friction regime, abrasion of the counterpart was observed, and for the second friction regime, the reduction of friction and wear was related to an oxide tribolayer formation. Tribological tests for the lowest time, of 0.5 h, were not long enough to show two friction regimes, which were observed in other test times (4, 8, and 15 h).