Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of Solution‐Treated Fe–Mn–Al–Cr–Si–C Lightweight Steel

Fe–Mn–Al–C steels have recently gained significant research interest due to their impressive combination of specific strength and ductility. Although there exist many studies correlating the microstructure and strength‐toughness balance in lightweight steels, limited studies available on their tribological performance. This study examined the wear characteristics of a novel Fe–18.52Mn–6.78Al–4.17Cr–0.61Si–0.91C hot‐rolled (HR) lightweight steel using a ball‐on‐plate reciprocating wear test under various solution treatment conditions. The wear test revealed a specific wear rate in the range of 10 −5 mm 3 N −1 m −1 and a coefficient of friction of 0.41–0.51. The specific wear rate of the present steel has been found to be better than existing Fe–Mn–Al–C lightweight steels. All the samples encountered severe plastic deformation beneath the worn surface, leading to a gradient in hardness profile, with the highest hardness observed at the worn surface of the ST‐90WQ sample (518 ± 8 HV). Despite the severe deformation and significant strain hardening, the steel retained its austenitic structure without any deformation‐induced phase transformation. Detailed microstructural characterization of the worn surface and sub‐surface in the samples was performed using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and 2D optical profilometry. The study provides insights into the wear behavior of lightweight steels, supporting their use as sustainable alternatives for weight‐sensitive applications.