A new method of predicting the wear resistance of steel

One of the most important challenges facing the engineering industry is the increasing reliability and durability of machines and mechanisms. In the practice of operating machines it is known that up to 90 % of the causes of their failures are associated with the wear that occurs under the conditions of contact between the executive links with their relative move or kick. The increase of the service life of machines requires optimization of the choice of wearresistant materials as well as the search for effective design and technological solutions. This problem is complicated by the fact that in the manufacture of machine parts, the main attention is paid to ensuring the structural strength. Low-wear resistance of machine parts causes unwanted wastage of metal and a very low coefficient of its estimated useful life, which is associated with high costs of energy resources and material resources. One of the main ways to improve wear resistance of machine parts is the choice of materials with the optimum combination of mechanical properties. The selection of wear-resistant steels and alloys according to reliable criteria of wear resistance is complicated by the effects of heat on the friction that causes softening of the mating surfaces and may be accompanied by changes in the initial characteristics of steels and alloys. The processes occurring during abrasive wear are challenging, diverse, and require further systematic study considering varieties of contact interaction. It is shown that the wear resistance of the material of the surface layer in terms of the fatigue wear can be estimated by the value of the specific energy consumption. From the performed tests, it is evident that the thermocyclic treatment of steel by carbonitriding can significantly increase the load capacity of the friction surface.