Effect of Strain Hardening on Wear Resistance Property of 316 Austenitic Stainless Steel

Abstract

The main purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of strain hardening on wear properties of 316 austenitic stainless steel (ASS). Cold deformation was performed by using a universal tensile machine for 20% CW and 40% CW followed by heat treatment to relieve internal stresses. A secondary cold working process was performed for the heat-treated samples followed by a secondary heat treatment. Wear test measurements and microscopic examinations were preformed for all samples. It was observed that by increasing the strain hardening percentage the hard brittle martensite phase increases. Also, by increasing both the SiC grit of the emery papers (which was used in the wear test) and the time of the wear test, the weight lost per unit area was decreased. The wear resistance was increased by using single and double 20% strain hardening but by exceeding the cold working to more than 40% the wear resistance decreased.