Influence of grain size and tempering temperature on wear resistance of 38KhN3MFA steel

Wear resistance of steel 38KhN3MFA with different grain size in case of abrasive and adhesion types of wear is studied. The steel was subjected to hardening and tempering at various temperatures. The structure and state of the steel surface were studied using metallographic, X-ray and electron-microscopic methods. It is shown, that steel with a fine (10-20 μm) grain has a higher wear resistance, than steel with a large (about 100 μm) and superfine (∼1 μm) grain. The steel tempering, decreases hardness along with abrasive wear resistance of the material. Embrittlement of grain boundaries, developing at tempering teperatures 300-400 deg C (tempering brittleness), decreases sharply the steel resistance to adhesion wear