Issue 78

N. Mohan et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 78 (2026) 129-145; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.78.08

lubricant and provides a protective film on the sliding surface. However, in the case of bare samples, the surface hardness is much lower due to which the counter body can penetrate considerably on the sliding surface leading to higher values of COF.

Figure 10: Evolution of coefficient of friction in tribo-corrosion.

Surface topographies of worn surfaces The 3D surface topographies of the worn surfaces of boronized MSS subject to tribocorrosion are as shown in Fig. 11. The width of the boronized MSS varies from 0.63 to 0.89 mm while the depth varies in the range of 2.58 – 3.22 µm. The boronized MSS at 1000°C demonstrates several asperity points distributed unevenly across the surface while at 950°C the surface is more even with fewer asperity points. The corresponding wear scar profiles (Fig. 12(a-d)) demonstrate that at 1000°C the wear scars are deeper in comparison with their counterparts at 950°C. The analysis of the wear mechanism in the subsequent section will provide detailed insights about the features observed.

Figure 11: 3D surface topographies of boronized MSS at 1000°C (a) 13Cr4Ni and (b) 16Cr5Ni at 950°C (c)13Cr4Ni and (d) 16Cr5Ni in tribocorrosion condition.

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