Effect of thermal oxidation process on wear resistance of B2 iron aluminide

•The effect of thermal oxidation on wear resistance of iron aluminide has been examined.•The 200 h treatment at 1000 °C has produced the best wear resistance.•The wear mechanism is related to simultaneous plastic deformation and micromachining.

The paper presents the abrasive wear resistance of surface layers formed as a result of isothermal oxidation of an FeAlCrZrB iron aluminide in the temperature range 800–1100 °C, during 200 h. Mechanical properties, e.g. the hardness and Young's modulus of the surface treated layers have been determined. The coefficient of micromechanical wear and the wear micromechanism were studied. It has been found that the oxide scale formed at the temperature of 1000 °C on the iron aluminide surface improves remarkably the wear resistance.