Effects of the Ambient Temperature and Load on the Wear Performances and Mechanisms of H13 Steel

The dry sliding wear tests of H13 steel were performed under atmospheric conditions under various ambient temperatures and loads; the wear performances and the wear mechanisms were studied. At room temperature (RT), the wear loss of the steel gradually increased with increasing the load. An adhesive wear prevailed with little tribo-oxides on the worn surfaces. Under the atmospheric conditions at 473 K (200 °C) and a load of 100 N or above, a mild oxidation wear prevailed with about 20-μm thickness of tribo-oxide layer forming on the asperities of worn surfaces. The wear loss first reduced and then slightly increased with increasing the load. Compared with the other ambient temperatures, the wear at 473 K (200 °C) retained the lowest wear loss due to the protection of the tribo-oxide layer. As the ambient temperature reached 673 K (400 °C), the wear loss increased with increasing load, leading to higher wear than those observed at RT and at 473 K (200 °C). The predominant wear mechanism at 673 K (400 °C) was oxidation wear, unlike mild oxidation wear, which dominated at 473 K (200 °C).