Dependence of Fretting Damage on Time

The fretting wear of solution-annealed AISI 316L (UNS S31603) stainless steel (SS) was investigated with a plane-sphere-contacted device in saline (0.9% sodium chloride [NaCl]) solution. The study found three stages in fretting life. In the initial period, the material suffered serious plowing damage. In the second period, crevice corrosion occurred near the fretted region, which plays an important role in the fretting process. In the final period, the damage mechanism could be defined as corrosive delamination. Mechanical action was the main factor in damage. However, the results also showed the remarkable synergistic effect between fretting wear and corrosion. After ~ 1.0 × 10⁵ cycles, > 60% of the weight loss was caused by the conjoint effect of mechanical and chemical action. Evolutions of damage mechanisms and damage rates proved the dependence of fretting on time.