Influence of permanent magnetic field on wear performance of dry sliding contacts

► Horizontal permanent magnetic field temporarily affects hardness of a material. ► Magnetic field accelerates removal of wear particles from the contact zone. ► Orientation of magnetic field relative to the sliding direction appears to be of significance for the sliding wear of a dry contact. ► Carbon steel coating was found to be significantly affected by the magnetic field, which was manifested by a clear reduction of mass losses due to wear. ► Magnetic field promotes generation of very fine wear particles in case of a carbon steel coating.