A Study of Wear Behavior in Martensitic Stainless Steel Subjected to Repetitive Impact Loads

Impact wear (repetitive impact-induced wear) has been identified as a significant issue in various engineering components, such as valves, electrical contacts, and pumps. This study investigates the impact wear behavior of martensitic stainless steel, a commonly used material for valves. Understanding the wear behavior is crucial for minimizing losses and enhancing component performance. Repetitive impact tests were conducted using a custom-built testing machine with a well-defined impact position. Four impact loads were applied (10 N, 20 N, 30 N, and 40 N) at 30,000 impact cycles. It was observed that plastic deformation precedes the transition to fatigue wear after multiple impact cycles under loads 20 N and over. However, under 10 N, plastic deformation was not observed clearly, and the initial damage mode primarily involved pitting, followed by delamination wear. Wear rates were found to correlate well with the contact pressure, and the equation for predicting the wear rate was derived from such a relation. A valuable guideline for minimizing wear and designing operating contact pressure in martensitic stainless-steel components is achieved via the upper and lower bound curves.