Analyzed was the influence of tribocorrosion wear due to effects of fatty acids present in the processed medium. The analysis was conducted on samples made of two austenitic and two martensitic stainless steels. Austenitic steels were tested in their nitrided state and martensitic in their induction hardened state. Conducted were laboratory tests of corrosion resistance of samples, analysis of the microstructure and hardness. To see how the applied processes for modifying the surface of stainless steels behave in realistic conditions, it was conducted the examination of samples/parts of a sunflower cake chain conveyer. Based on the comparison of results obtained in the laboratory and in real conditions, it was estimated that steels AISI 420 and AISI 431 with induction hardened surfaces have a satisfactory resistance to abrasive-adhesive wear in the presence of fatty acids.

This research was carried out with the aim of obtaining appropriate principles for describing the influence of working parameters and the aggressive action of an acidic medium on the wear and corrosion resistance of martensitic stainless steels. Tribological tests were performed on induction-hardened surfaces of stainless steels X20Cr13 and X17CrNi16-2 under combined wear conditions at a load of 100 to 300 N and a rotation speed of 382 to 754 min−1. The wear test was carried out on a tribometer with the use of an aggressive medium in the chamber. After each wear cycle on the tribometer, the samples were exposed to corrosion action in a corrosion test bath. Analysis of variance revealed a significant influence of rotation speed and load due to wear on the tribometer. Testing the difference in the mass loss values of the samples due to corrosion using the Mann–Whitney U test did not show a significant effect of corrosion. Steel X20Cr13 showed greater resistance to combined wear, which had a 27% lower wear intensity compared to steel X17CrNi16-2. The increase in wear resistance of X20Cr13 steel can be attributed to the higher surface hardness achieved and the effective depth of hardening. The mentioned resistance is the result of the creation of a martensitic surface layer with dispersed carbides, which increases the resistance to abrasion, dynamic durability, and fatigue of the surface of the protective layer.

Stainless steel samples were tested in the laboratory and under real conditions of tribocorrosion wear. Electrochemical tests were also carried out to verify the corrosion resistance of modified steel surfaces. Metallographic analysis and hardness testing were conducted on stainless steel samples X20Cr13 and X17CrNi16 2. The possibilities of applications of modified surfaces of the selected steels were investigated by testing the samples under real wear conditions. The results have shown that the induction hardened and subsequently nitrided martensitic steels achieved an average wear resistance of up to three orders of magnitude higher as compared to the delivered condition.

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