Effect of the microstructure and residual stress on tribological behavior of induction hardened GCr15 steel

A systematic experimental investigation was conducted to study the effects of microstructure and residual stress on the tribological behavior of induction hardened GCr15 steel. Dry sliding wear tests of the hardened steel had been performed using a reciprocating ball-on-flat apparatus under different normal loads of 20, 50, and 100 N. The results indicate that the quenched layer microstructure is composed of martensite and retained austenite. The analysis of worn surface and wear debris of quenched layer showed that the wear mechanism was mainly abrasive wear at low load and delamination wear at high load. Typically, the compressive stress in the hardening layer has a significant positive influence on the wear resistance whereas the tensile stress has a negative effect.