Effects of surface roughness and counter body variables on the dry sliding wear behavior of AISI 4140 steel based on the elastoplastic flattening model

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of surface roughness and counter body material on the wear behavior of AISI 4140 steel based on the elastoplastic flattening model. Most studies in tribology based on the elastoplastic regime focus on modeling the contact between a sphere and a flat surface. However, these models’ main challenge is determining the real contact area. This study claims that the real contact area can be detected with high accuracy through interface software used in optical microscopy. The sample surfaces were roughened and then supposed to dry sliding wear tests using the AISI 52100 and Al2O3 abrasive counter bodies under varying loads and test durations. It was concluded from the calculations that the sample’s surface roughness value significantly affects the contact pair’s plasticity index and, thus, the sample’s wear behavior against the counter body material. Higher plasticity index values indicating the abrasive effect were obtained with the Al2O3 ball, which has a higher hardness and elasticity modulus than the AISI 52100 steel ball. The surface damage of the sample with a high roughness value was less than the other samples. The COF values obtained with the steel ball were detected as lower than that of the alumina ball. Also, it was seen that the surface roughness parameter and plasticity index values calculated were compatible with the wear characteristics of the test samples. As a result, determining the real contact area between the contacting surfaces and its usability in calculating the elastoplastic flattening model parameters were experimentally tested and verified.