Influence of Surface Finish on the Dry Sliding Wear and Electrochemical Corrosion Behaviour of 316L Stainless Steel

Abstract

316L stainless steel is known for its high corrosion resistance and extensively being used for biomedical implants and for the fabrication of the parts in nuclear reactors, and fuel cells. In the current study, 316L stainless steel samples were grounded using different grades of surface grits (400, 1200, and mirror-finished) by mechanical polishing, and influence of surface finish on the wear and corrosion characteristics was studied. The dry sliding wear experiments were carried out on ball-on-plate setup against hardened steel ball and the corresponding friction curves were obtained and specific wear rates were measured. The wear mechanisms were identified by examining the worn-out surface using scanning electron microscope and Raman spectrometer. It was evident that the formation and removal of iron oxides is the dominant mechanism for material loss from the samples during wear tests. The higher wear resistance of the mirror-finished sample was attributed to the formation of stable chromium oxide layer on the wear track. Potentiodynamic polarization tests were performed on the samples and better corrosion resistance was observed for the mirror-finished sample.