Experimental comparison of abrasive and erosive wear characteristics of four wear-resistant steels

Abstract

In the current research, the wear behavior of four steel wear resistant plates was investigated. In order to compare the wear-related characteristics of the candidate steels, tests of hardness, slurry erosion and two-body abrasive wear experiments were conducted. In addition, the microstructural evolutions were analyzed using optical microscopy. To identify the changes in samples’ characteristics along the depth, the aforementioned tests were conducted at different depths of the plates. The microstructural evolutions regarding the changes in the phases, including their types, their shapes and their sizes, were studied. To study the erosion behavior, an experimental rig was developed that allows samples to move inside a slurry environment. Regarding the abrasive wear, the pin-on-disk method was used in which the sample plays the role of a pin moving on a circular abrasive grinding disk. The tests were carried out under different amounts of the normal force that pushes the sample on the disk. Finally, the samples were compared regarding their microstructures, hardness, erosive and abrasive behavior. The results showed that the steel that exhibited the highest hardness did not necessarily show the highest wear resistance. Furthermore, it was observed that the steel that had the highest erosive resistance did not show the abrasive resistance accordingly.