Effect of carbon contents on dry sliding wear behavior of high vanadium high speed steel

► We study the dry sliding wear behavior of a high speed steel (HSS) with various C%. ► All HSS exhibit a high wear resistance compared with high chromium cast iron. ► HSS with lath martensite and fine carbides has the highest wear resistance. ► The wear mechanism for HiCr shift from micro-cutting to micro-cracking at 400 N.