The Effect of Silicon on Microstructure and Wear Resistance in Bainitic Steel

The microstructure, hardness and sliding wear behavior of bainitic steel containing 1.0–2.5% Si were investigated by means of the optical microscope, the scanning electron microscope, the X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, Rockwell hardness tester, microhardness tester and M-200 wear tester. The results show that the as-cast structure is mainly composed of acicular lower bainite and retained austenite. As the silicon content...