Direct and indirect corrosion wear performance of AISI 630 steel for the slipper/swashplate pair in a water hydraulic pump

Abstract

To explore feasibility of AISI 630 steel applied to slipper/swashplate pair of a water hydraulic pump. Frictional corrosion experiment simulating slipper/swashplate pair operation was systematically conducted under three different lubricating conditions, and the influence of lubricating medium and solution aging on corrosion wear of AISI 630 steel and indirect corrosion wear of its dual PEEK surface were evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical corrosion test analysis. It was shown that synergistic effect of corrosion and wear played an important role on wear of AISI 630 steel and occupied up to 25% of its total wear loss. Solution aging of AISI 630 steel could help to decrease wear rate of its dual PEEK surface in freshwater, but would significantly increase friction coefficient and wear rate of AISI 630 in seawater and aggravate the wear and indirect corrosion wear of its dual PEEK surface. Therefore, for the water hydraulic slipper/swashplate pair, it is suggested that when taking service in freshwater, solution aging of AISI 630 steel can be considered to alleviate wear of its dual PEEK surface, but when taking service in seawater, solution aging is not recommended, and the original AISI 630 steel is more conducive to obtain preferable friction and wear performance.