Friction and wear behavior of multiple steel wires with different corrosion extents under different lubrication conditions

Corrosion and wear of the steel wires are two major factors in the failure of wire ropes and can greatly reduce their service life as well as the reliability of mine hoists. In this paper, to study the fretting wear behavior of multiple wires with different extents of corrosion under different lubrication conditions, fretting wear tests on corroded wires were conducted on a homemade testing apparatus. The results show that corrosion and lubri-cation had great influence on coefficient of friction (COF) and fretting state. In addition, the wear resistance of steel wire decreased with increasing corrosion extent. The application of lubricant is beneficial. It could significantly reduce the overall specific wear rate and reduce the difference in degree of wear due to corrosion. In two lubricants specially used for mining wire ropes, lubricating grease (IRIS-400 M) had better anti-wear effect than lubricating oil (IRIS-550A). Furthermore, lubrication condition and corrosion degree affected the wear mechanism between steel wires. This study can provide basic data for the safe use and maintenance of wire rope.