Tribology, corrosion, and tribocorrosion performance of aged lightweight steels: Effects of oxide film and carbide

The study investigated the tribology, corrosion, and tribocorrosion performance of aged Fe–30Mn–8Al–1.2 C–0.1Ti–(2Cr/Mo) steel, with a focus on oxide film and carbide. The precipitates changed from κ carbide to Cr7C3/MoC with the addition of Cr/Mo. The inhomogeneous precipitation of Cr7C3/MoC created zones of varying hardness, one being hard with strong strengthening and the other soft with weak strengthening. The inhomogeneous hardness distribution deteriorates the tribology performance of the steel. By minimizing galvanic coupling corrosion and improving the protectiveness of the oxide film, the addition of Cr/Mo can improve the corrosion and tribocorrosion resistance of lightweight steel.