Effects of sliding speed and lubrication on the tribological behaviour of stainless steel

Due to their specific properties, the rolling of stainless steel can experience adhesion-induced ‘heat scratch’. This paper investigates experimentally the effects of sliding speed and lubrication on the tribological behaviour of stainless steel with the aid of the pin-on-disc technique. The disc was made from the commonly used roll material, i.e. 5Cr in production, and the pins were of the 443 stainless steel, the typical stainless steel that experiences heat scratch problems. To explore the lubricant effects, the surface topography of the pins was compared with those obtained under dry contact sliding. The sliding-induced debris was also analyzed. It was found that there is a threshold of sliding speed beyond which the adhesion of stainless steel occurs and sliding process can become unstable. A larger contact pressure tends to lower down such speed threshold. Lubricant and additives can considerably reduce the interface friction, wear rate and surface damage of the stainless steel.