Improvement of Tribological Performance of AISI H13 Steel by Means of a Self-Lubricated Oxide-Containing Tribo-layer

A self-lubricated oxide-containing tribo-layer was induced to form by continuously adding particles of MoS2, Fe2O3 or their mixtures onto sliding interfaces of AISI H13 and 52100 steels. The artificial tribo-layer was always noticed to form continuously and cover the worn surface (termed as cover-type), whereas the original tribo-layer spontaneously formed with no additive was usually discontinuous and inserted into the substrate (termed as insert-type). Clearly, the cover-type and insert-type tribo-layers exactly corresponded to low and high wear rates, respectively. For the mixed additives of Fe2O3 + MoS2, the protective tribo-layers presented a load-carrying capability and lubricative function, which are attributed to the existence of Fe2O3 and MoS2. Hence, the wear rates and friction coefficients of H13 steel were markedly reduced.