Structure and friction-reducing property of the sulfide layer produced by ion sulfuration

Sulfide layers with a certain thickness were made on the surface of 1045 and 52100 steels by means of the low-temperature ion sulfuration technique. Metallography, scanning electron microscope (SEM) + energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were adopted to analyze the structure of sulfide layers; the tribological properties of the layers lubricated by paraffin oil were also investigated on a reciprocating tester. The results showed that sulfide layer is porous, and its structure is mainly composed of FeS, FeS₂, and substrate phases. The sulfide layer possessed a remarkable friction-reducing effect; its friction coefficient was lower on average, by about 50%, than that of the surface without layer. With the increase of layer thickness, its friction coefficient was unchanged, and under low load conditions, its operational period was prolonged. Under the same experimental conditions, the operational period of sulfide layer on 52100 steel was longer than that on 1045 steel, and its friction coefficient was lower as well.