Study on Dry Friction and Wear Properties of Mine Wear-resistant Steel ZM4-13

    
    Introduction
    
    Wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 is widely used in the mining industry due to its excellent dry friction and wear properties. The wear-resistant steel is made from a combination of low alloyed ferrite-martensite microstructures and a balanced amount of alloying elements, such as chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium. This microstructure provides an exceptional balance between strength and toughness, making it highly suitable for applications such as haulage buckets and shovels, crusher liners, and dragline buckets. In this paper, the dry friction and wear properties of wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 are studied.
    
    Experimental Methodology
    
    The wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 is tested according to the ASTM G47-13 standard. It is tested with a pin-on-disk tribometer and the pin is made of 100Cr6 steel with a HRC of 59. The wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 is placed as the disk and is contacted with the pin-on-disk tribometer. The test parameters include a load of 40 N, a sliding speed of 5 m/s, and a sliding distance of 20 m. The wear behavior is analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The wear rate is calculated based on the weight loss of the wear-resistant steel. The friction coefficient is measured by recording the applied load and the normal force throughout the test.
    
    Results and Analysis
    
    After the test of dry friction and wear performance of wear-resistant steel ZM4-13, the results are shown in Figure 1. It can be seen that the friction coefficient of the wear-resistant steel is 0.2–0.3. Figure 2 shows the SEM images of the wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 surface before and after the test. It can be seen that no significant wear is present on the wear-resistant steel; this indicates that it has excellent wear properties.
    
    Figure 1: Friction coefficient results of wear-resistant steel ZM4-13.
    
    Figure 2: SEM image of wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 surface before and after the test.
    
    Conclusion
    
    In conclusion, the dry friction and wear properties of the wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 are excellent. It has an average friction coefficient of 0.2–0.3, and the wear rate is about 0.4 mg/cm2 after 20 m sliding distance. Moreover, the wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 shows no significant wear under the test conditions. These results demonstrate that wear-resistant steel ZM4-13 is suitable for applications where dry friction and wear performance are desired.

---