High-Temperature Sliding Wear Characterization Studies of AISI 316 L(N) by Surface Profilometry

Abstract

The major construction material in the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is AISI-type 316 L(N) austenitic stainless steel due to its good mechanical properties and compatibility with liquid sodium.Sliding wear experiments were carried out at various temperatures up to 550 ℃ at constant load (20 N) and sliding speed (0.8 m/s) using a pin-on-disc test rig as per the ASTM standard G99-05. Analysis of the test results presented that the wear increased considerably with the temperature. The characterization of worn surface topography is done by a complete profilometry study using Talysurf CLI 1000 surface profilometer. The 3D surfaces were captured both by induction mode by diamond stylus as well as non-contact high-resolution confocal point gauge having range of 3000 μm with 0.25 nm resolution was used for surface profiling. The cold-welded surfaces were analysed by the profilometer, and the geometry of the deposit on the wear track was analysed by the profilometer. The roughness parameters were correlated with the amount of wear data obtained from the experiments at various testing temperatures. As the temperature increases during the sliding wear, the material loss is presented with more furrows resulting in enhanced surface roughness values. © 2020, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.