COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ABRASIVE-WEAR RESISTANCE OF BRINAR AND HARDOX STEELS

One of the most important problems encountered during operation of machine parts exposed to abrasive action is their wear. In addition, these parts often work under dynamic loads, so their satisfactory ductility is also required. A combination of these apparently opposing properties is to a large degree possible in low-alloy martensitic steels containing boron. These steels are manufactured by numerous metallurgical concerns, but their nomenclature is not standardised and they appear under names given by the manufacturers, and their specifications are available in commercial information materials only. Till now, Hardox steels have been objects of great interest but, with regard to the continuous development of materials engineering, the created material database requires regular supplementation. To that end, two grades of steels from this group, Brinar 400 and Brinar 500, were subjected to comparative analysis of their abrasive-wear resistance in relation to properties of competitive grades Hardox 400 and Hardox 500. Abrasive-wear resistance tests were carriedout in laboratory conditions using a tribotester T-07. In addition, to identify the main wear mechanisms, worn surfaces of the specimens were examined with use of a scanning electron microscope.