Tribological Properties of AISI 52100 Bearing Steel under Different Sliding Distance and Normal Force Conditions

The effects of different sliding distances and normal forces on the dry sliding wear behavior of room-temperature AISI 52100 bearing steel were studied. Wear tests were conducted using reciprocating friction and wear equipment at sliding distances of 100, 300, 500, and 700 m and under normal forces of 5, 10, 20, and 40 N. The results showed that the wear rate of the material first increased and then decreased with increasing sliding distance. The wear pattern changed from fatigue wear to a mix of fatigue and abrasive wear and finally evolved into only abrasive wear. The wear volume increased by more than 10 times with the normal force increasing from 5 to 40 N when the sliding distance was fixed at 500 m. The wear rate of the material peaked when fatigue wear and abrasive wear acted together. With increasing sliding distance, the coefficient of friction first increased, then decreased, and finally increased slowly until it stabilized. The duration of the run-in phase increased with the normal force, and the friction coefficient decreased from 0.8 at 5 N to 0.55 at 40 N. A finite element analysis of the steady stress of the wear process was carried out, and the results were consistent with the test results. The relationship between the sliding distance and normal force on the wear of AISI 52100 bearing steel was obtained by establishing a three-dimensional surface model. The mathematical model was used to predict the wear of AISI 52100 bearing steel under dry wear conditions.