Characterization and Modeling of Wear Behavior of AISI D3 Tool Steel under Dry Sliding Conditions

Abstract

In this study, central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were employed to model the wear behavior of AISI D3 tool steel. The objective was to investigate the variation of the coefficient of friction (COF), wear track depth and width, volume loss, and wear rate (WR) under different experimental conditions, including loads (L) ranging from 1 to 20 N, sliding speeds (s) between 100 and 250 mm/s, and sliding distances (D) from 100 to 500 m. To achieve this, a CCD-based experimental design was implemented, and the designed experiments were conducted using pin-on-disc dry sliding tests. Variance analyses revealed that COF was influenced by both the applied load and sliding speed, while the sliding distance showed no statistically significant effect. Based on the regression model, a 3D graph indicated that the lowest COF value of 0.35 would be observed at a sliding speed of 250 mm/s under both 1 and 20 N loads, while the highest COF value of 1.4 would occur at a sliding speed of 100 mm/s under a 1-N load. Additionally, 3D plots generated for WR suggested that WR approached zero for load values between 10 and 17 N, a sliding speed of 125 mm/s, and a sliding distance of 100 m. The highest WR value was observed under the conditions of 250 N load, 250 mm/s sliding speed, and 100 m sliding distance. Furthermore, SEM images and EDS analysis were conducted on the worn surface and abrasive ball, revealing that oxidation resulting from localized heating played a crucial role in the wear behavior.