Erosive Wear Study of the AISI 201LN Stainless Steel: A Comparison with the AISI 304 and AISI 410 Stainless Steels

Abstract

Synergistic corrosion and oxidation can accelerate the wear phenomenon in aggressive environments such as machinery operating in mining industries. The main purpose of this article is to study the erosion wear behavior of the AISI 201LN austenitic stainless steel toward an erosive wear process simulating the flow of particles in chutes. In addition to its good resistance to corrosion, the high Md temperature and low stacking fault energy (SFE) presented by the AISI 201LN steel favor its deformation-induced e-martensitic transformation and, consequently, its work-hardening capacity. These characteristics induce a high potential in applications where mechanical wear occurs simultaneously with corrosion. For comparison purposes, AISI 304 and AISI 410 stainless steels, commonly used in mining and agroindustry equipment, were also studied in this work. Among the austenitic alloys, since its composition is weak in nickel, the AISI 201LN steel has a low production cost. The erosion tests were performed with impact angles of 20 and 90 deg, and the eroded samples were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microhardness measurements. All the materials studied presented erosive wear by plastic deformation, and the AISI 201LN steel exhibited the highest erosive wear resistance. Its high ductility, high hardening rate, and high tendency to form martensite by deformation were fundamentals for such response. As a result, the AISI 201LN stainless steel seems promising as a cheaper material for applications in equipment that undergoes simultaneous erosive and corrosive wear.