Spectroscopy analyses of tribofilm and surface microcracks in carburized SCM420 steel under high-pressure rolling contact fatigue

Abstract The tribofilm and surface microcracks developed on a carburized SCM420 steel through a two-roller-type pitting test were characterized. A streaky 100- to 200-nm-thick tribofilm was generated on the specimen surface after 1.0×105 cycles. The tribofilm was identified to be mainly composed of calcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2 and iron phosphate Fe3(PO4)2. Microcracks having lengths of a few tens of micrometers were detected on the contact surface without the tribofilm after the test. The number of cycles corresponded to a transition of the tangential force between two rollers decreasing to a stick-slip phenomenon as a steady state. A friction modifier additive (molybdenum dialkyldithiocarbamate) was added to a lubricant to improve rolling contact fatigue (RCF) pitting resistance. This lubricant containing the friction modifier additive exhibited a lifetime that was a factor of 10 greater than the RCF lifetime for the lubricant base oil. Therefore, the tribofilm may affect the tangential force and RCF lifetime. The contact surfaces and subsurface structure, especially in the vicinity of the microcracks, were dynamically reconstructed by severe friction and damage accumulation. Oxygen was detected on the surface of the microcracks.