Tribological Behavior of 1.41 wt% C Ultrahigh-carbon Steel With Quenching and Low-temperature Tempering Treatment

The tribological behavior of 1.41 wt% C ultrahigh-carbon steel (UHCS-1.41C) was investigated in comparison with a GCr15 bearing steel with a pin-on-disk and a two-disk tribometer at varying applied loads in ambient conditions. The wear surfaces of the specimens were examined with an optical microscope, EDX, and SEM. The retained austenite was measured by XRD. The results show that the friction coefficient of UHCS-1.41C is higher than that of GCr15 at a low load (6 N); however, it becomes lower than that of GCr15 at higher loads (10 N, 20 N). The wear rate of UHCS-1.41C is always lower than that of GCr15 according to the results of the two-disk test. UHCS-1.41C exhibits a stronger work hardening ability, which results in a higher resistance to wear than that of GCr15 during the two-disk test.