Sliding behaviour of nanophased AISI M2 tool steel obtained by mechanomaking and hot isostatic pressing

The friction and wear behaviour of a nanophased AISI grade M2 tool steel was studied under dry sliding conditions and compared with that of a conventional AISI M2 steel. The nanocrystalline steel was produced by mechanosynthesis followed by cold and hot isostatic pressing. Slider-on-cylinder tests were performed against a ceramic coated countermaterial under loads of 10, 20, and 30 N and sliding speeds of 0.3 and 1.2 m s(-1) up to 10 km sliding distance. The nanocrystalline material underwent mild wear with low coefficient of friction under all testing conditions. The commercial M2 steel displayed distance dependent transitions from a regime of mild wear with low coefficient of friction, to a regime of severe wear with high coefficient of friction. The first tribological regime was due to the formation of a layer of iron oxides on the worn surfaces. In this regime, the wear resistance of both steels is mainly dominated by the mechanical properties of the carbides which have high load carrying capability. The second tribological regime, observed in the commercial steel, was due to the formation of cracks both on the mechanically mixed layer and at a depth beneath this layer, which also led to the detachment of carbides from the matrix. This abrasive 'third body' produced high wear damage of the commercial steel under high applied loads. (C) 2001 IoM Communications Ltd.