Experimental Study of Adhesive Wear of a Holding Device Using a Cross Cylinders Tester

Adhesive wear was identified in a cylinder of a rotating holding device of a forming die system, which permits to hold and align a leaf spring to carry out a punching operation at the automotive industry. To investigate the causes of the wear observed, an experimental study using AISI 5160 H and AISI 9840 R steels was carried out in a cross cylinder tester. The steel materials simulated the leaf spring and the cylinder of the holding device respectively. Like a remedy to reduce the adhesive wear, thermal chemical diffusion nitriding hardening was applied on the AISI 9840 R material and tested against AISI 5160 H in dry and lubricated conditions. The results showed that applying nitriding, the wear rate reduced around 97 % in dry conditions compared to the untreated steel. In lubricated conditions the wear for treated and untreated reduced by 98 %.