Effects of relative humidity on iron-oxide composition and wear mechanism on steel friction interface

IF 6.1 1区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL

Wear Pub Date : 2025-09-26 DOI:10.1016/j.wear.2025.206360

Chao Sun , Feng Ding , Wenlin Li , Zhenghai Yang , Zhifei Ma , Chenfei Song

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Environmental humidity influences the safety and replacement frequency of Fe-based friction materials such as brake pad and wheel-rail, which are influenced by the formation of oxide films. However, the oxidation mechanisms induced in iron and steel materials as a function of relative humidity (RH) have not been clearly elucidated thus far. Therefore, in this study, normalised 45# steel was tested under braking conditions, with the friction interface positioned perpendicular to the ground. To investigate the effects of RH on the friction and wear performance as well as the oxidative wear mechanism in 45# steel, pin-on-disc friction tests were conducted via a salt solution method at different RH conditions. The results showed that as RH increased, the friction coefficient of 45# steel decreased, whereas the wear rate increased; ultimately, optimal braking performance was achieved at 30 % RH. Contrastingly, at 50 % RH, the friction coefficient and wear rate exhibited abrupt changes, the O:Fe ratio on the worn surface peaked, and the wear mechanism shifted from furrow and adhesive wear to oxidative wear. Finally, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed that with increasing RH, the oxidation intermediates followed a transformation sequence of Fe(OH)₂ → FeOOH → Fe(OH)₃. Ultimately, this study provides essential data and theoretical insights into oxidation processes, supporting the design and performance evaluation of iron-based friction materials.

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相对湿度对氧化铁成分的影响及钢摩擦界面磨损机理

环境湿度影响着刹车片、轮轨等铁基摩擦材料的安全性和更换频率，这些材料受氧化膜形成的影响。然而，相对湿度（RH）对钢铁材料氧化机制的影响尚未明确。因此，在本研究中，正火45#钢在制动条件下进行了测试，摩擦界面垂直于地面。为研究相对湿度对45#钢摩擦磨损性能的影响及氧化磨损机理，采用盐溶液法对45#钢进行了不同相对湿度条件下的销盘摩擦试验。结果表明：随着RH的增大，45#钢的摩擦系数减小，磨损率增大；最终，在30%相对湿度下实现了最佳制动性能。而在50% RH时，摩擦系数和磨损率发生突变，磨损表面的O:Fe比达到峰值，磨损机制由沟槽磨损和黏着磨损转变为氧化磨损。x射线光电子能谱分析表明，随着相对湿度的增加，氧化中间体的转变顺序为Fe(OH)2→FeOOH→Fe(OH)3。最终，该研究为氧化过程提供了必要的数据和理论见解，支持铁基摩擦材料的设计和性能评估。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Wear 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

8.80

自引率

8.00%

发文量

280

审稿时长

47 days

期刊介绍： Wear journal is dedicated to the advancement of basic and applied knowledge concerning the nature of wear of materials. Broadly, topics of interest range from development of fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of wear to innovative solutions to practical engineering problems. Authors of experimental studies are expected to comment on the repeatability of the data, and whenever possible, conduct multiple measurements under similar testing conditions. Further, Wear embraces the highest standards of professional ethics, and the detection of matching content, either in written or graphical form, from other publications by the current authors or by others, may result in rejection.