Operando Study of Structural Changes in High-Manganese Steel Under Dry Friction

Evolution of the microstructure of steel 110G13L under friction is studied using the method of synchrotron x-ray diffraction and subsequent profile analysis of the diffraction peaks. Friction of the high-manganese steel is accompanied by accumulation of crystal lattice defects, which finds reflection in changes in the full widths of half maximums. The experimentally determined structural defects are a result of growth of microdistortions of the austenite lattice and reduction of the sizes of coherent scattering domains. It is shown that the friction interaction produces anisotropic displacement of the diffraction maximums of the austenite, which indicates enhanced probability of formation of stacking faults and lowering of the stacking fault energy. Obvious features of mechanically induced phase transformations have not been detected.