Hot Wear of Single Phase fcc Materials—Influence of Temperature, Alloy Composition and Stacking Fault Energy

The severe sliding abrasion of single-phase metallic materials is a complex issue with a gaining importance in industrial applications. Different materials with different lattice structures react distinctly to stresses, as the material reaction to wear of counter and base body is mainly determined by the deformation behavior of the base body. For this reason, fcc materials in particular are investigated in this work because, as shown in previous studies, they exhibit better hot wear behavior than bcc materials. In particular, three austenitic steels are investigated, with pure Ni as well as Ni20Cr also being studied as benchmark materials. This allows correlations to be worked out between the hot wear of the material and their microstructural parameters. For this reason, wear tests are carried out, which are analyzed on the basis of the wear characteristics and scratch marks using Electron Backscatter Diffraction. X-ray experiments at elevated temperatures were also carried out to determine the microstructural parameters. It was found that the stacking fault energy, which influences the strain hardening potential, governs the hot wear behavior at elevated temperatures. These correlations can be underlined by analysis of the wear affected cross section, where the investigated materials have shown clear differences.