The Influence of Hardness and Toughness on Wear Temperature Dependence of Stainless Steels

The sliding wear behaviors of three typical stainless steels with various microstructural characteristics, including 2205 duplex stainless steel (2205 DSS), 304 austenite stainless steel (304 ASS), and 430 ferritic stainless steel (430 FSS), are investigated at 20 and −120 °C to address wear failure under cryogenic environment conditions for applications such as spacecraft, polar exploration ships, and liquefied gas storage units. Results show that the wear resistance at 20 °C primarily depends on the initial hardness and strain hardening capacity, whereas toughness becomes increasingly important at −120 °C. The wear resistance of 2205 DSS is slightly higher than that of 304 ASS at 20 °C but much higher than that of 430 FSS. As the temperature decreases to −120 °C, the wear resistances of both 2205 DSS and 304 ASS improve due to the enhanced hardness and favorable toughness endowed by fine grains and the stimulated transformation‐induced plasticity (TRIP) effect, respectively. In contrast, owing to the significant decrease in the toughness of 430 FSS, the worn surface delaminates and the wear resistance deteriorates. Therefore, the effect of toughness on the wear process is not negligible. This study provides guidance for the selection of wear‐resistant materials for different service temperatures.