Sliding wear resistance of Fe–30Mn–8Al–1.2C steel modulated by κ–carbide

The hardness, elastic modulus, and plasticity/toughness of Fe–30Mn–8Al–1.2C steel are significantly influenced by κ–carbide. This study investigates the wear behavior of solution steel without κ–carbide and aged steel with κ–carbide through sliding wear tests. The dominant wear mechanism of Fe–30Mn–8Al–1.2C steels shifts from microcutting/microploughing at low loads to microfatigue wear at high load. Aged steel exhibits higher wear resistance under low loads due to the hardening effect of κ–carbide. However, its wear resistance under high load is lower than that of solution steel because of the significantly deteriorated plasticity/toughness.