Abstract
Austenitic stainless steels find widespread use in sodium-cooled reactor systems because of their low corrosion rates and adequate strength. These steels are usually associated with severe galling wear and high unsteady friction when in contact in the absence of conventional lubrication.
Experimental work in liquid sodium and in sodium vapour has shown clearly, however, the existence of mild wear processes in which the surface damage is slight and the friction relatively smooth. This type of wear persists for a greater sliding distance in sodium vapour than in sodium liquid at low temperature.
Boundary lubrication by complex oxides is shown to be the likely cause of the mild wear, and the effects of changes of oxygen level in the liquid sodium are reported. A tentative explanation of the friction and wear behaviour is given, based on thermodynamic data.
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