Tribological properties of a nano-eutectic Fe _1.87C _0.13 alloy under water environment

Tribological properties of a nano-eutectic Fe _1.87C _0.13 alloy were investigated under distilled-water lubrication against AISI52100 steel ball for various applied loads and sliding speeds. For comparison, the tribological behavior of annealed coarse-grained Fe _1.87C _0.13 alloy was also examined under the same testing conditions. Worn surfaces of both alloys were analyzed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The wear rate of nano-eutectic Fe _1.87C _0.13 alloy was on the order of 10 ^-5 mm ³/m. The wear rate of nano-eutectic Fe _1.87C _0.13 alloy was higher than that of annealed Fe _1.87C _0.13 alloy at lower load, but lower under higher load. The friction coefficients of the two alloys were similar and exhibited a slight increase with increasing sliding speed, but a small decrease with increasing applied load. The wear mechanism of the nano-eutectic Fe _1.87C _0.13 alloy was transformed from plowing and corrosion wear to slight fatigue cracking with increasing applied load, whereas that of the annealed coarse-grained Fe _1.87C _0.13 alloy was transformed from plowing and corrosion wear to severe fatigue flaking.