Tribological Performance of Steels

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 627

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China
Interests: laser cladding; additive manufacturing; mechanical properties; intelligent manufacturing; microstructure characterization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Steel serves as the foundational material for critical industrial applications, such as aerospace propulsion systems, automotive drivetrains, and precision manufacturing tools, where its tribological performance is vital in determining operational lifespan and energy efficiency. The complex interactions between friction dynamics, wear mechanisms, and lubrication effectiveness have a critical impact on the reliability of components such as gears, rolling bearings, and metal-cutting tools.

Recent advancements in surface engineering techniques, such as plasma carburizing and laser cladding, coupled with the development of innovative lubrication strategies, including solid lubricants, bio-lubricants, and nano-enhanced lubricants, have significantly improved the wear resistance and reduced the friction coefficients of steel components. These innovations collectively contribute to optimizing the performance and durability of steel in rigorous industrial environments. Additionally, the investigation of wear properties of steels under various wear modes, as well as the study of tribological and wear failures of steels in various engineering applications, provides critical insights for enhancing material design and operational strategies.

We are pleased to invite researchers to contribute original research articles, reviews, and short communications to this Special Issue on the “Tribological Performance of Steels”. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Wear mechanisms and surface degradation;
  • Advanced surface treatments;
  • Solid, bio-lubrication, and nano-enhanced lubrication;
  • Additive manufacturing of wear-resistant steels;
  • Tribological performance characterization and optimization;
  • Wear properties of steels under various wear modes;
  • Tribological and wear failures of steels in various engineering applications.

Dr. Kaixiong Hu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Lubricants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • steel
  • tribological performance
  • surface engineering
  • lubrication
  • wear mechanisms
  • wear modes
  • tribological failures
  • wear failures
  • friction reduction
  • coatings

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 9922 KB  
Article
Unraveling the Friction and Wear Mechanisms of a Medium-Carbon Steel with a Gradient-Structured Surface Layer
by Huaming Zhang, Baoyan Que, Li Dong, Zhenling Li, Yang Cheng and Xiaogui Wang
Lubricants 2025, 13(10), 448; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13100448 - 14 Oct 2025
Viewed by 390
Abstract
This study investigates the enhancement of tribological performance in coarse-grained (CG) 42CrMo steel through the development of gradient-structured (GS) samples using double-sided symmetrical surface mechanical rolling treatment (D-SMRT). Dry reciprocating sliding wear tests are performed against a GCr15 steel counter ball to evaluate [...] Read more.
This study investigates the enhancement of tribological performance in coarse-grained (CG) 42CrMo steel through the development of gradient-structured (GS) samples using double-sided symmetrical surface mechanical rolling treatment (D-SMRT). Dry reciprocating sliding wear tests are performed against a GCr15 steel counter ball to evaluate the influence of normal load on the wear resistance of CG and D-SMRT samples. Results demonstrate that D-SMRT significantly improves wear resistance under a 5 N load, attributed to the synergistic effects of surface strengthening and microstructure refinement. Characterization of worn surfaces via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirms oxidative wear and abrasive wear as the dominant mechanisms at 5 N. With increasing load, wear transitions to abrasive and fatigue wear for the CG sample, while adhesive wear and plastic deformation dominate in the GS sample. This work concludes that D-SMRT technology effectively enhances the tribological properties of 42CrMo steel under normal loads below 10 N. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tribological Performance of Steels)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop