Magnetic and electron microscopy analysis of wear products of sliding tribo-conjugations

Abstract

To evaluate the friction and wear parameters and to establish the residual lifetime of heavily loaded tribo-conjugations on samples of steel 40 (0.4 wt% C, 0.27 wt% Si, 0.63 wt% Mn, 0.24 wt% Cr and 0.17wt% Ni, with Fe being the balance) and steel 20XH3A, studies of the changes in the electromagnetic characteristics in surface layers of tribo-conjugations, lubricant performance characteristics after each testing stage in a friction machine and size distribution of wear particles were carried out. The presence of correlations between the amount of wear, eddy-current device readings and particle size distribution curves were found. The results obtained allow the stage of tribo-conjugation wear to be defined and its residual lifetime to be predicted.