Impact Test Apparatus Research Articles

Impact and Adhesion Mechanics of Block Copolymers in Cold Spray: Effects of Rubbery Domain Content

The impact and adhesion mechanics of two-phase block copolymers during high-velocity impacts are studied experimentally and computationally to understand the effect of the rubbery phase on bonding behavior in cold spray additive manufacturing. Micron-scale (10-20 μm) spherical particles of polystyrene-block-polydimethylsiloxane with varying rubbery phases are impacted on a silicon substrate by using a laser-induced projectile impact test setup with impact velocities in the range of 50-600 m/s. Experiments indicate that the minimum impact velocity for polymer particles adhering to the substrate decreases with increasing rubbery phase content. A strain rate- and temperature-dependent constitutive model and cohesive zone model are calibrated for each material by comparing the deformed and computed deformed particle shapes and coefficient of restitution values of the rebounding particles. Computational results show that increasing the rubbery phase content in block copolymers increases plastic energy dissipation from 89 to 96% and the critical strain energy release rate from 1.87 to 9.3 J/m2 at 140 m/s, and thus contributes to the observed decrease in the minimum impact velocity required for block copolymers to adhere to substrates. The discovered direct relationship between soft phase content and critical strain energy release rate implies that increased soft-rubbery PDMS content in block copolymers enhances adhesion through improved chain mobility, better surface asperities coverage, and enhanced wetting, due to its lower surface energy and greater adiabatic heating.

Validation of an Abaqus impact wave propagation model

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an important topic in aircraft industry to reduce the maintenance costs and increase the availability of an aircraft fleet through automating the determination of the health of the aircraft structure and systems using on-site sensors, like piezoelectric (PZT) and optic fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors that are often applied in SHM sensor networks. A finite element model for wave propagation due to an impact is very desirable to enable the design of optimal sensor network configurations for SHM applications, to obtain a better understanding of wave propagation (especially in composite structures) and also to generate simulated (virtual) test data for SHM algorithm development. Therefore, an Abaqus explicit finite element (FE) model was developed for wave propagation due to impacts. To validate such a model, a series of impact tests were performed with a drop tower on an aluminium clamped square panel, at different impact energy levels and different impact locations. On the panel, eight FBG and six PZT sensors were installed. These experimental results were used to validate the FE model, in which the impacts were simulated and the computed PZT and FBG sensor responses were compared against the experimental results. The paper will present the impact test setup, the finite element model and the validation results. The main focus of the paper will be the sensitivity analysis, identifying the model parameters that significantly affect the impact sensor responses and their optimal settings. A very good correlation between the numerical and experimental results was obtained. In near future work, the model will be extended to a (thermoplastic) composite panel, for which experimental results on a flat composite panel already have been collected, and a stiffened composite panel representative of an actual horizontal tail plane are planned.

Effect of impact and flexural loading on hybrid composite made of kevlar and natural fibers

In this work, four varieties of hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) panels made of kevlar-29 and natural fibers are studied. All panels have kevlar-29 face sheets and natural fiber core, such as jute, flax, sisal, and hemp. This research focuses on the behavior of these hybrid FRP panels under flexural and impact loading so that the panels can be explored for the structural/semi-structural members of army shelters, portable helipad, and roofing panels in high-altitude areas. Natural fibers are chemically treated with NaOH to improve hydrophobicity. The panels are vacuum bagged, the fiber volume fraction is 0.39, and the thickness is close to 4 mm. Three-point flexural loading using the universal testing machine and low-velocity impact loading up to 24 J under drop weight impact test setup is carried out to characterize the panels. Damage area, delamination, permanent deformation, indentation depth, energy absorbed, flexural strength, and modulus are measured. The hybrid flax/kevlar panel and hemp/kevlar panel, each resist impact with permanent deformation less than 0.5 mm up to 24 J. Without significant face sheet or core fiber breakage, the delamination is spread over a small radial distance of 18.5 and 24.5 mm, respectively. Interface matrix breakage causes delamination. The load vs deflection curve is almost linear under flexural loading, and specimens failed under compression at 240 MPa. The numerical simulation is also done using ANSYS and LS-DYNA for detailed study.

EFFECT OF LOW-VELOCITY IMPACT DAMAGE ON THE ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE SHIELDING EFFECTIVENESS OF CFRP COMPOSITES

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are widely used engineering materials in aerospace technologies. These electrically conductive carbon-based materials, due to the lightness advantages, are preferred as shields against electromagnetic radiation, especially in aircraft and satellites. However, the performance losses caused by damage because of flying object collision such as bird, hail, or projectile contain significant uncertainty. Herein, the CFRP composite material was structurally damaged by low velocity impact test set-up at various energy levels between 2.5 to 10 joules, and then its electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance was investigated. In addition, the electrical properties of the material were also examined, and the occurred damage status was evaluated by microscopy studies. Intrinsically, the increase in impact energy increases the grade of damage on body of the material. This results in a drastic decrease in electrical conductivity and EMI performance. In experiments, where 5 joule energy is detected as a threshold level, it has been observed that irreparable damage occurs at energy levels above this value.

Dynamic Response Study of Piezoresistive Ti3C2-MXene Sensor for Structural Impacts.

MXenes are a new family of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. They are inorganic compounds of metal carbides/nitrides/carbonitrides. Titanium carbide MXene (Ti3C2-MXene) was the first 2D nanomaterial reported in the MXene family in 2011. Owing to the good physical properties of Ti3C2-MXenes (e.g., conductivity, hydrophilicity, film-forming ability, elasticity) various applications in wearable sensors, energy harvesters, supercapacitors, electronic devices, etc., have been demonstrated. This paper presents the development of a piezoresistive Ti3C2-MXene sensor followed by experimental investigations of its dynamic response behavior when subjected to structural impacts. For the experimental investigations, an inclined ball impact test setup is constructed. Stainless steel balls of different masses and radii are used to apply repeatable impacts on a vertical cantilever plate. The Ti3C2-MXene sensor is attached to this cantilever plate along with a commercial piezoceramic sensor, and their responses for the structural impacts are compared. It is observed from the experiments that the average response times of the Ti3C2-MXene sensor and piezoceramic sensor are 1.28±0.24μs and 31.19±24.61μs, respectively. The fast response time of the Ti3C2-MXene sensor makes it a promising candidate for monitoring structural impacts.

Impact and adhesion mechanics of block copolymer micro-particles with a silicon substrate

Deformation of a two-phase block copolymer (BCP) during high velocity impacts is studied experimentally and theoretically with an aim to use this material in cold spray (CS) additive manufacturing. Micron scale (10–20 μm) spherical particles of polystyrene-block-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-b-PDMS) are impacted on a silicon substrate by using a laser-induced projectile impact test (LIPIT) setup with impact velocities in the range of 50–600 m/s. Experiments indicate that polymer particles adhere to the substrate when their impact velocities fall within the range of 140–500 m/s. A constitutive model that accounts for the effects of both strain rate and temperature on the mechanical behavior of such materials is developed. A critical energy release rate function which depends on the surface temperature and rate of separation is formulated and used in a cohesive zone model (CZM) to model bonding of the BCPs on the substrate. The model parameters are calibrated by comparing the deformed and computed deformed particle shapes and coefficient of restitution values of the rebounding particles. Simulations show that the particles experience ultra-high strain rates (>104 s−1), large deformation, and temperature elevation due to plastic dissipation and interfacial friction. The outer rim of the contact interface is predicted to experience temperature levels above the glass transition temperature of the PS-domain of the BCP. Bonding is correlated with increase of contact area, plastic dissipation and temperature rise in the interface.

Evaluating energy absorption of sustainable rubber crumb/kenaf composites through artificial neural network strategies for low‐velocity impact loads

AbstractThis study presents an innovative approach utilizing Artificial Neural Network (ANN) strategies to evaluate the energy absorption capabilities of eco‐friendly rubber crumb/kenaf composites subjected to low‐velocity impact loads. The primary objectives of this research were to assess the energy absorption characteristics of these sustainable composites, understand their mechanical behavior under the impact, and provide valuable insights into their potential applications. To achieve these objectives, an experimental methodology was employed. Rubber crumb/kenaf composites with varying compositions were prepared, and low‐velocity impact tests were conducted using a drop‐weight impact testing apparatus to assess their energy absorption behavior and these parameters were used as inputs for training the ANN models. The weight percentage of waste tire rubber particle (WTRP), type of impactor and impact energies are considered as input data, whereas the absorbed energy is treated as the output. Through the advanced ANN strategies, accurate predictions of energy absorption performance were achieved for the rubber crumb/kenaf composites. The Levenberg–Marquardt optimisation algorithm with ten neurons and a tangent sigmoid activation function is used to train the ANN model. The trained ANN model is tested on an unseen dataset, different from the training data. It is shown to accurately predict the energy absorption characteristics of WTRP/KRE composites with a maximum error of 4.54%. The results revealed that the composite's energy absorption capabilities were influenced by the ratio of rubber crumb to kenaf, as well as the impact velocity. Additionally, the ANN models demonstrated excellent predictive capabilities, enabling efficient estimation of energy absorption behavior. The significance of these results lies in the potential applications of eco‐friendly rubber crumb/kenaf composites. By understanding their energy absorption characteristics, these composites can be effectively utilized in various industries. For instance, they could be employed in automotive parts manufacturing to enhance occupant safety during low‐velocity impact events. Furthermore, these composites can find applications in sports equipment, protective gear, and other impact‐prone products, contributing to sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. It is believed that by adopting the proposed ANN methodology, the experimentation costs and time can be significantly reduced without compromising the accuracy of the results. The obtained results provide valuable insights into the mechanical behavior of these sustainable composites and open avenues for their implementation in diverse industries where impact resistance is crucialHighlights Development of sustainable Rubber crumb/kenaf composites Application of advanced ANN based predictive assessment of the impact response Parametric study of impactor shape and height of impact is performed The damage mechanism contributing to energy absorption is micrographically studied

Orientation-dependent plasticity mechanisms control synergistic property improvement in dynamically deformed metals

We demonstrate the ability to synergistically enhance strength and toughness in metals by tailoring the dominant plasticity mechanisms from impact-induced heterogeneous nanostructures. Using a laser-induced projectile impact testing apparatus, we impact initially dislocation-free single crystal microcubes at high velocities to induce grain size and dislocation density gradients. These gradient nanostructures exhibit heterogeneous deformation under subsequent quasi-static loading leading to enhanced strength and toughness. Transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) analyses show that the synergistic property improvement arises from the complimentary intragranular and intergranular plasticity mechanisms: the pronounced intragranular dislocation plasticity within coarse grained regions provides increased strain hardening and toughness while the nanograined regions with high dislocation densities provide high strength and supplemental toughness enhancement through cooperative grain rotation and grain boundary migration. These plasticity mechanisms are activated to different extents depending on the specific impact-induced nanostructures, which depend on the orientation of the single crystal upon impact. Controlled [100]-face, [110]-edge, and [111]-corner impact of single crystal microcubes, subsequent quasi-static mechanical testing, and pre- and post-compression nanostructural characterization provide a fundamental understanding of the comprehensive process-structure-property relations in heterogeneous nanostructured metals.

Role of shear reinforcements on the punching shear resistance of two-way RC slab subjected to impact loading

• Numerical analysis of punching shear resistance of RC slab subjected to impact loading. • Impact test setup is modeled in ABAQUS/Explicit computer code. • Computational results compared with the experimental ones from literature. • Parametric study to analyze the effect of stirrups’ width, spacing, and the number of compression reinforcement bars. • Shear reinforcement was able to improve the impact resistance of slab against punching. The possibility of acting impulsive loads such as blast and impact on gravity load-carrying structural members such as slabs during their construction and service life cannot be ruled out. Studies on the response of RC slabs under impact loading are available in the literature. However, the role of the shear reinforcements in the slab under impact is not fully understood and therefore needs further investigation. The slab subjected to concentrated impact loading in the form of falling construction equipment, landslip hazards, and other similar events may cause damage through punching or perforation. Under quasi-static concentrated loading, the design parameters that contribute to the shear resistance against punching are (1) concrete strength, (2) flexural steel, and (3) shear stirrups. In this work, a three-dimensional finite element model of a square concrete slab of normal strength concrete (30.10 MPa), 1000 mm × 1000 mm × 75 mm, with tension reinforcement only (0.88 %) subjected to low-velocity drop-weight impulsive impact is developed in ABAQUS/Explicit computer code considering Concrete Damage Plasticity and Johnson-Cook models with strain rate effects and validated with the experimental results in the open literature. The nonlinear interaction between the concrete and steel reinforcements is taken into account. The drop weight is a hard steel cone frustum-headed striker/impactor with a flat impact face of a total mass of 105 kg allowed to fall from 2500 mm height, impacting the slab at its centroid. To study the effect of the shear reinforcement on the impact resistance of the slab, the shear reinforcement has been varied by varying the stirrups’ width, spacing, and the number of compression reinforcement bars while keeping the impact load and other design parameters such as concrete/steel strength, support conditions, slab thickness, span, and flexural tension steel constant. Numerical simulations are executed and the outcomes are presented in terms of displacement–time plots, damage/stress profiles, damage modes, and damage dissipation energy. The results so extracted are discussed and compared. It has been found that the increase in shear reinforcement by decreasing the spacing of the stirrups improves the impact resistance of the slab against punching.

Impact‐Absorbing Thermally Dissipative Epoxy Composite Liner for Helmets

Helmets are ubiquitously used forms of protective equipment in various industries. A common major drawback in helmets is their poor thermal management. Here, to reduce the dependency on active cooling methods and to conserve same helmet design, a composite thermal liner based passive cooling mechanism is proposed. A multifunctional liner consisting of uniformly distributed graphene oxide nanosheets and icosane is prepared. A helmet liner cast out of a 3D‐printed mold is tested to measure impact energy absorption using a home‐built helmet impact testing setup in accordance with ASTM D7136/D7136M‐20. The liner is expected to deform, thereby absorbing the energy from the impact and eventually reducing the impact experienced by the user. The material (10X‐GOME‐0.75), obtained after careful optimization of the mechanical and thermal properties of different combinations of varying weight fractions of the fillers, exhibits about 300% greater deformation over an unmodified epoxy (UME) liner (0.3% strain) and also shows 98% strain recovery over a fatigue test of >7500 cycles. Thermal characterization shows heat absorption by the material at about 37 °C, which is the average human body temperature. Such materials can have future in developing lightweight next‐generation helmets with better thermal management for use in various fields.

Determination of bruise preventing capacity of the cushioning material in persimmon fruit under pendulum impact test

AbstractFruits, essential in human nutrition, go through many stages until they reach the consumption stage. Brıise may occur on the fruit during loading, unloading, and processing. One of the options applied to prevent bruises to fruits throughout the supply chain is to package cushioning materials. This study investigated the number of bruises caused by applying impact energies to the covered and uncoated (bare) persimmon fruits with foam net material. Impact energy applications were carried out with the developed pendulum impact test setup. Dynamic loadings at different impact energy levels, low (0.03 J), medium (0.06 J), and high energy (0.11 J) were applied to three other regions of persimmon fruits (blossom side, lateral diameter, and stem side). Statistical analysis showed that the effect of impact energy on bruise volume was significant (p ˂ 0.01). The study found a linear relationship between bruising volume on persimmons and impact energy. According to the experiment results, it was determined that the bruise volume values of persimmons with foam net used as cushioning material were significantly less than the bare persimmons. As a result of the applied impact energies, it was determined that the average bruise volume of the persimmons was 225.74 mm3 in the bare ones and 21.29 mm3 in the ones covered with foam net. It was also revealed that the blossom side of the persimmon was the most sensitive to impact energy, and the lateral diameter side was the most durable.Practical ApplicationsMechanical bruises to fruits and vegetables during post‐harvest processing can be significant. Bruise‐sensitive fruits such as persimmon increase the size of bruises due to falling from height during filling and unloading. Understanding where and how large the bruising effects caused by impact energies are can help reduce fruit bruises. Packaging practices, which are ways to prevent fruit bruising, play an important role in prolonging the shelf life of the fruit and reducing the risk of physical bruising. In the study, the effect of the cushioning material on the prevention of the size of bruises caused by the impact energy effect on the persimmon fruit was investigated. It is aimed to compare the bruise amount of foam‐coated and non‐foam‐coated persimmon fruits by considering the fruit regions in the applications performed with the pendulum test setup.

Influence of crumb rubber on the response of concrete beams against low velocity impact

High impact resistance and energy absorption capacity are desirable characteristics of concrete for several structural applications such as roadside barriers, bridge columns, rockfall protection barriers, and industrial buildings. Crumb rubber has been proven to enhance these characteristics of concrete. In past, numerous experimental investigations have been performed to study the mechanical properties of rubberized concrete. However, a detailed inspection of rubberized concrete under low velocity impact is still lacking. Also, the design guidelines for the employment of crumb rubber in concrete have not been explored. In the current study, the influence of partial replacement of sand with crumb rubber on the impact response of concrete has been studied. Concrete mixes with different proportions of sand replacement (5–30% by volume) have been prepared. The impact tests are conducted using drop impact test setup on concrete beams of dimension 500 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm. The specimens are subjected to an impact of 6 kg mass from an elevation of 500 mm. The results reveal that the replacement of sand with crumb rubber enhances the flexibility, energy absorption capacity, and peak impact force. Although, a curtailment in the compressive strength, elastic modulus, and split tensile strength is observed. Moreover, the microstructural properties of rubberized concrete are also investigated using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), and tentative design guidelines are proposed for selecting an optimum percentage of crumb rubber in concrete.

Laboratory study on degradation of ballast mixed with crumb rubber under impact loads

ABSTRACT This paper evaluates the effect of crumb rubber (CR) on degradation reduction of ballast aggregates subjected to impact loads. A drop-weight impact testing apparatus was developed to test ballast mixed with CR. The probability of corner breakage and bulk fracture was investigated, and the material loss and change in sphericity were identified. The results show that, as CR percentage increases, the corner breakage probability increases first and then decreases, while the bulk fracture probability decreases. The effect of CR on the former is less than that on the latter. The degradation probability of the particles in the size range of 35.5 ~ 45 mm or that of non-cubic shapes is most influenced by CR. The material loss and change in sphericity decrease with increasing CR percentage, and the effect of CR is greatest for the particles in the size range of 25 ~ 35.5 mm and independent of particle shape.

A Novel Approach for Synthesis of Low Sensitive FOX-7 with a high % yield

Attaining a high performance is one of the most seeking demands in the energetic materials field. However, achieving that goal while keeping a high level of safety became a serious puzzle. 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene (FOX-7) could be a promising candidate to solve that issue regarding its favorable explosive characteristics together with its low vulnerability. However, its high cost and low yield obtained via the FOI method limit its use in the field of insensitive munition (IM). In this work, we propose a novel approach to synthesis the FOX-7 crystals with high purity, a relatively high yield, and an extremely low impact, friction, ignition sensitivities. The obtained crystals were characterized using FTIR Spectroscopy, Proton NMR Spectroscopy, IKA impact test apparatus, BAM friction test apparatus, Chilworth deflagration test apparatus, and the adiabatic calorific bomb. Results confirmed the successful preparation of pure FOX-7 crystals with a promising yield of 64%, in comparison to the yield of the FOI method of 55%, and extremely low sensitivities using our proposed approach.

Development of Velocity Measurement Device and Calibration Using SHPB and Ballistic Impact Setup

A velocity measurement device was developed to measure the velocity of the striker bar of Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) set up. It measures the range of velocity magnitudes for different size of striker bars. The velocity measurement device measures velocity of the striker bar for varying pressure values. The readings were calibrated under freefall, SHPB and also using a ballistic impact testing setup present at the authors facility. The device was developed to produce consistent readings and these readings were tabulated.

Drop Weight Impact Test on Prepacked Aggregate Fibrous Concrete—An Experimental Study

In recent years, prepacked aggregate fibrous concrete (PAFC) is a new composite that has earned immense popularity and attracted researchers globally. The preparation procedure consists of two steps: the coarse aggregate is initially piled into a mold to create a natural skeleton and then filled with flowable grout. In this instance, the skeleton was completely filled with grout and bonded into an integrated body due to cement hydration, yielding a solid concrete material. In this research, experimental tests were performed to introduce five simple alterations to the ACI 544 drop weight impact test setup, intending to decrease result dispersion. The first alteration was replacing the steel ball with a steel bar to apply a line impact instead of a single point impact. The second and third introduced line and cross notched specimens at the specimen’s top surface and the load applied through a steel plate of cross knife-like or line load types. These modifications distributed impact load over a broader area and decrease dispersion of results. The fourth and fifth were bedding with sand and coarse aggregate as an alternate to the solid base plate. One-hundred-and-eight cylindrical specimens were prepared and tested in 12 groups to evaluate the suggested alteration methods. Steel and polypropylene fibers were utilized with a dosage of 2.4% to produce PAFC. The findings indicated that the line notched specimens and sand bedding significantly decreased the coefficient of variation (COV) of the test results suggesting some alterations. Using a cross-line notched specimen and line of impact with coarse bedding also effectively reduced COV for all mixtures.

Development of an Inertial Sensor Module for Categorizing Anomalous Kicks in Taekwondo and Monitoring the Level of Impact.

In this study, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor module and software algorithm were developed to identify anomalous kicks that should not be given scores in Taekwondo competitions. The IMU sensor module was manufactured with dimensions of 3 cm × 3 cm × 1.5 cm and consists of a high-g sensor for high acceleration measurement, a 9-DOF sensor, and a Wi-Fi module for wireless communication. In the experiment, anomalous kicks and normal kicks were collected by the IMU sensor module, and an AI model was trained. The anomalous kick determination accuracy of the trained AI model was found to be 97.5%. In addition, in order to check whether the strength of a blow can be distinguished using the IMU sensor module, an impact test was performed with a pendulum under the same test conditions as the impact sensor installed in the impact test setup, and the correlation coefficient was 0.99. This study is expected to contribute to improving scoring reliability by suggesting the possibility of discriminating anomalous kicks, which were difficult to judge in Taekwondo competitions, through the analysis of Taekwondo kicks using inertial data and impulses.

Prediction of bruise in peach with impact energy

AbstractThe aim of this study is to find out the factors affecting mechanical bruising of peach and to develop a model for the prediction of the bruise that occurs in peach in harvest and post‐harvest processes. For this purpose, experiments were carried out with Redhaven, Glohaven, and Dixired peach varieties. The peaches were harvested in three different periods. Researches on experiment materials were carried out after storing in two different environments, room temperature and cold storage conditions. In the study, pendulum impact test setup was used to create different degrees of bruise on peaches. Regression models were created with “Multiple Linear Regression” analysis to prediction the amount of bruise volume by using impact energy, maximum contact force, radius of curvature, and Magness–Taylor force factors obtained based on the measurement and calculation results. As a result, it was found that all of the multiple linear regression models created for the prediction of bruising in peach fruit were statistically significant (p ≤.01).Practical ApplicationsDamages in fruits cause quality loss in the product. Mechanical damage can occur at many different stages, such as during the harvesting and postharvest processing of the material, or during manual handling. Peach fruit is sensitive to different types of damage that may occur during and after harvest. In this study, models were developed for the prediction of fruit damage by working on some peach cultivars. With the study, suggestions were made for the prevention of damage to the peach during harvest and postharvest processes. In addition, in the light of the information obtained, it will provide a reference for the improvement of systems and designs used or to be installed for harvest and postharvest processing of peach fruit.

Research on vertical accelerator type explosion impact simulation device

In recent years, damage by homemade improvised explosive devices, known as IEDs, has occurred in conflict zones. Therefore, research and development of Blast Mitigating Seats for use by the occupants is needed as one of the measures to prevent IED damage. In a previous study, as an alternative to explosion experiments, a drop experiment was conducted in which a reduced model of the vehicle body was dropped onto a crash block, but this caused a delay in the time of the impact force transmitted to the human body model, which interfered with the study of the seat model mechanism. The aim of this study is to develop a lower impact test apparatus as an alternative method to explosion experiments, and to verify the effectiveness of the apparatus so that alternative experiments can be conducted.

The influence of aluminum on microstructure, mechanical properties and wear performance of Fe–14%Mn–1.05%C manganese steel

In this investigation, the effect of Al addition on the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties, wear behavior/mechanism of an Fe–14%Mn–1.05%C steel was studied. For this purpose, samples with various amounts of Al contents, under the austenitized condition of 1100 °C, were first prepared. Microstructural changes were assessed using optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) that was equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detector, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). As well, mechanical properties variations were analyzed using Charpy impact test, tensile test and Vickers microhardness apparatus. A pin on disk wear test was employed for the evaluation of wear performance. To determine the wear mechanism, the wear damaged surfaces were analyzed by FE-SEM technique. Results showed that the microstructure of this steel consists of a predominant austenite phase together with a small amount of Fe1.8Mn1.2C complex carbide. Increasing the Al content of the steel increased austenite grain size and reduced the amount of carbides that were precipitated in the austenite matrix. Also, the results of wear, tensile, hardness and Charpy impact tests indicated that increasing the Al content increased the yield strength, hardness and wear resistance. However, tensile strength, ductility and energy absorption capability were significantly reduced under this circumstance. Wear test results together with the analysis of the damaged surfaces demonstrated that abrasive wear (in the form of parallel grooves) was the main wear mechanism operative in this steel. Finally, results indicated that increasing the Al content of the steel reduced friction coefficient, weight loss and the degree of surface damage.