Grain size effect on wear resistance of a nanostructured AISI52100 steel

We report that the sliding wear resistance of a nanostructured spheroidal pearlite steel varies with grain size: it increases when the grain size of the ferrite phase (Dα) increases from 8 to 32 nm, and decreases with a further increase in Dα. A maximum wear resistance at an average grain size of 32 nm, corresponding to the most significant material transfer on the mating ball, was analyzed in terms of the combination of hardness and plasticity.