Erosive Wear Study of the AISI 201LN Stainless Steel: A Comparison with the AISI 304 and AISI 410 Stainless Steels ANA PAULA MARQUES DE OLIVEIRA, MANUEL HOUMARD, WILIAN DA SILVA LABIAPARI, and CRISTINA GODOY Synergistic corrosion and oxidation can accelerate the wear phenomenon in aggressive environments such as machinery operating in mining industries. The main purpose of this article is to study the erosion wear behavior of the AISI 201LN austenitic stainless steel toward an erosive wear process simulating the flow of particles in chutes. In addition to its good resistance to corrosion, the high Md temperature and low stacking fault energy (SFE) presented by the AISI 201LN steel favor its deformation-induced e-martensitic transformation and, conse- quently, its work-hardening capacity. These characteristics induce a high potential in applications where mechanical wear occurs simultaneously with corrosion. For comparison purposes, AISI 304 and AISI 410 stainless steels, commonly used in mining and agroindustry equipment, were also studied in this work. Among the austenitic alloys, since its composition is weak in nickel, the AISI 201LN steel has a low production cost. The erosion tests were performed with impact angles of 20 and 90 deg, and the eroded samples were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microhardness measurements. All the materials studied presented erosive wear by plastic deformation, and the AISI 201LN steel exhibited the highest erosive wear resistance. Its high ductility, high hardening rate, and high tendency to form martensite by deformation were fundamentals for such response. As a result, the AISI 201LN stainless steel seems promising as a cheaper material for applications in equipment that undergoes simultaneous erosive and corrosive wear. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-019-05123-1 Ó The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2019 I. INTRODUCTION EROSIVE wear is caused by hard particles striking the surface, either carried by a gas stream or a liquid flow. [1,2] It is a common phenomenon in mining and agroindustry processes, mainly where materials transfer occurs (e.g., chutes). In some parts of the chute equipment, the iron core particles flow, for example, strikes the equipment surface, applying a contact force during a long period of time, which leads to an erosive wear of the structural material used. The erosive wear intensity depends on the number, mass, velocity, and hardness of the individual particles striking the surface, as well as their impact velocity. These characteristics define the erosive wear problems. [1,2] Several factors and parameters of the tribological system influence the erosion mechanism. Thus, the knowledge of the mechanical and metallurgical characteristics of the involved materials is fundamental for such a study. [3] The concern in studying stainless steels for applica- tions in areas, such as mining and agroindustry, is that in addition to wear resistance, it is necessary to use materials that are resistant to corrosion due to the presence of humidity in these processes. [4] In studies carried out by Aperam in the Valemix Mining Com- pany, [5] the performances of both AISI 410 and carbon steels were compared. In this work, the carbon steel with an initial thickness of 6 mm reaches, after 6 months of use, a thickness ranging from 1 to 3 mm, owing to a ANA PAULA MARQUES DE OLIVEIRA is with the Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Avenida Presidente Antoˆnio Carlos, 6627, Campus UFMG, Escola de Engenharia, bloco 2, 5° andar, Belo Horizonte, MG CEP: 31270-901, Brazil. Contact e-mail: p.anamarques@gmail.com MANUEL HOUMARD is with the Department of Materials Engineering and Civil Construction, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Avenida Presidente Antoˆnio Carlos, 6627, Campus UFMG, Escola de Engenharia, bloco 1, sala 3304, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP: 31270-901, Brazil. WILIAN DA SILVA LABIAPARI is with the R&D of Aperam South America, Prac¸ a 1° de Maio, 9, Centro, Timo´teo MG CEP: 35.180-018, Brazil. CRISTINA GODOY is with the Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Avenida Presidente Antoˆnio Carlos, 6627, Campus UFMG, bloco 1, sala 1804, Escola de Engenharia, Belo Horizonte, MG CEP: 31270-901, Brazil. Manuscript submitted August 21, 2018. METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A