Effect of loading on the friction and interface microstructure of lubricated steel tribopairs

In this study, the tribological behavior and interfacial evolution of GCr15/Mild steel tribopairs lubricated by inorganic sodium metaphosphate was investigated under different applied loads at 800 °C. The results show that sodium metaphosphate lubricates the contact effectively at the load ranging from 5 to 30 N, with higher loads causing increased friction and wear. A layer of glassy phosphate film formed between the contacts is responsible for the improved tribological performance. FIB/TEM and XRD analysis reveals that the phosphate film was mainly composed of amorphous Na-Fe orthophosphate matrix filled up with fine oxide wear debris.