Effect of loading on microstructure and friction and wear behavior of an austenite lightweight steel

The Fe–30Mn–8Al–1.2 C–0.1Ti austenite lightweight steel exhibits excellent tensile properties and strain hardening rate. Herein, the friction and wear performance of the austenite lightweight steel was evaluated, and the load effects on the wear mechanism and microstructure were investigated. Results show that the specific wear rate decreases monotonically with increasing load. As the load increases, the wear mechanism transfers from oxidative wear, abrasive wear, adhesive wear to oxidative wear, abrasive wear, adhesive wear and fatigue wear. As the load increases, the plastic deformation of worn subsurface intensifies, and the dislocation density increases drastically. The excellent plasticity and strain hardening ability endow the lightweight steel with high hardness and elastic recovery energy under high loads, resulting in excellent wear resistance.