Tribocorrosion Behavior of Typical Austenitic, Martensitic, and Ferritic Stainless Steels in 3.5% NaCl Solution

Abstract

Tribocorrosion behaviors of typical austenitic (ASTM 316), martensitic (ASTM S41500), and ferritic (ASTM S44660) stainless steels were investigated in a 3.5% NaCl solution under cathodic protection conditions, and variations in the microstructures and chemical compositions of worn surfaces were further analyzed. The results showed that the friction coefficient and wear rate of austenitic steels were lower than those of ferritic and martensitic steels in 3.5% NaCl solution with cathodic protection. Additionally, the tribocorrosion properties of ferritic steels were obviously unaffected by load. Wear mechanisms of the three typical stainless steels mainly included abrasive wear at lower loads and plastic deformation at a higher loads. Furthermore, in austenitic steels, variations in microstructure and chemical composition confirmed that a higher load was beneficial to the transformation of austenite to martensite; thus, the hardness and wear resistance were improved. Compared with austenitic steels, the phase compositions of martensitic and ferritic steel were more stable during sliding, and the surface hardness of martensitic steel increased due to the surface phase and microstructure transformations induced by sliding. In addition, the total damage to steel was mainly caused by mechanical wear and the interaction between corrosion and wear. Therefore, ASTM S44660 and 316 were suitable for high-load corrosion-wear environments and low-load corrosion-wear environments, respectively, providing guidance for material selection under practical conditions.