Improvement in Mechanical Properties and Wear Resistance of 13Cr–4Ni Martensitic Steel by Cyclic Heat Treatment

13Cr–4Ni martensitic stainless steel was subjected to a cyclic heat treatment (CHT) by using Gleeble 3800, thermo-mechanical simulator. A single cycle of this heat treatment consisted of austenitization at 1000 °C, holding for 5 min and fast cooling to room temperature. The effects on microstructure and mechanical properties were studied after conducting two (1000-2c) and four such cycles (1000-4c). The wear behavior of the cyclic heat-treated and the as-received material was then investigated by conducting dry sliding wear tests on a pin-on-disk wear testing machine. The evolved microstructure after CHT consisted of a reduced fraction of undesiring δ-ferrite and retained austenite phases and thereby an increased fraction of martensitic. Along with this, refinement in the martensite blocks attributed the increased hardness (by 46%) and ultimate tensile strength (by 41%) with a slight loss of ductility. The wear resistance of cyclic heat-treated specimens was found to be 41%, 18%, and 19% higher at 10 N, 20 N, and 30 N loads, respectively, than the counterpart of the as-received specimen. The plowing and craters were found responsible for the material removal from the surface of both as-received and cyclic heat-treated specimens.