Residual stresses and wear properties of induction-hardened medium carbon steel

A systematic experimental investigation was performed to study the residual stress, microstructure and work hardening on the wear properties of induction-hardened medium carbon steel. The dry sliding wear tests were performed using a reciprocating ball-on-flat apparatus under normal loads of 20, 50, and 100 N against ceramic ball counterface, respectively. The wear mechanism was mainly abrasive wear at low load (20 N) and delamination wear at higher load (100 N) as evidenced by the worn surface topography and wear debris. The deformation layer generated by friction work hardening reduced the friction coefficient, exhibited better antifriction. Typically, the high compressive residual stress could improve the wear resistance by delaying the propagation of microcrack and inhibiting the delamination.