Influence of metallurgical texture on the abrasive wear of hot-rolled wear resistant carbon steels

Abstract

Hot-rolled wear resistant carbon steel sheets are commonly applied in mining equipment as abrasive wear-resistant material for front loaders, chutes, etc. The rolling process can induce metallurgical texture in the form of alternating bands of ferrite and pearlite known as "banding" which affect the mechanical properties of the material. The goal of this work was to verify the impact of metallurgical texture on the abrasion resistance of hot-rolled wear resistant carbon steels. SEM images of the field specimens showed that the prevailing wear mechanism was parallel scratches. This wear mechanism was replicated in the laboratory using a dry sand-rubber wheel wear tester. The particle size used in the abrasive wear test (0.15–0.30 mm) was defined by the topographical analysis of the field sample. In addition, linear scratch tests were conducted to determine the specific scratch energy. The block specimens used in the abrasion wear tests were cut from hot rolled plates with and without metallurgical texture taking into account the rolling direction. Metallographic analysis of these samples showed an anisotropic microstructure related to the lateral and transversal surfaces of the plates. The wear rate of the lateral surface was up to 40% lower than that of the upper surface. This result was attributed to the presence of metallurgical texture that increased hardness. In addition, the wear rate presented a linear relationship to the scratch specific energy. In this case, samples without metallurgical texture were more difficult to scratch. The analysis of the specific energy and wear rate parameters clearly showed the anisotropy of the samples presenting metallurgical texture, which corresponded to the highest abrasive wear rate.