Comparative research on wear characteristics of spheroidal graphite cast iron and carbon steel

Abstract

► Spheroidal graphite cast iron presented different wear behaviors from carbon steel. ► Their difference might be attributed to the presence of graphite. ► Tribo-oxides were markedly reduced by the reduction of graphite. ► Wear-reduced effect of graphite and tribo-oxide at high temperature was impaired. Wear characteristics of a spheroidal graphite cast iron and a carbon steel were studied under atmospheric conditions at 25–400 °C. The spheroidal graphite cast iron presented obviously different wear behaviors from the carbon steel, which may be attributed to the presence of graphite. With an increase of ambient temperature, tribo-oxides of carbon steel substantially increased and its substrate softened, thus severe wear, oxidative mild wear, oxidative wear and extrusive wear took turns to prevail. However, compared with carbon steel in the same case, tribo-oxides were markedly reduced in the spheroidal graphite cast iron, thus oxidative mild wear and oxidative wear did not appear due to the lack of oxides. It is suggested that less tribo-oxides in the spheroidal graphite cast iron may be attributed to the reduction of graphite to tribo-oxides during sliding.