Cr atom diffusion in tribolayer T10 steel induced by dry sliding against 20CrMnTi steel

The ultrafine ferrite ranged from 5 nm to 200 nm of T10 steel pin was observed. ► The temperatures on contact surface are estimated by FEM from 395 K to 499 K. ► The Cr atoms originated from the disks diffused into the pins about 5-25 μm. ► The diffusion activations of Cr atoms is 97.54 kJ/mol. ► The atom diffusion is benefited from temperature rise and grain refinement.