Influences of trace water in hydrogen and argon on the tribological properties of pure iron

Tribological properties of pure iron were studied in argon environments containing trace water which is controlled at the value between 1 and 10,000 ppb and virtually no oxygen. The experimental data were compared with those obtained in our previous study with the same conditions of experiment but in hydrogen. The influences of trace water were recognized in both gases and confirmed not peculiar to a hydrogen environment. The coefficients of friction and specific wear rates were different to some extent between argon and hydrogen environments. The differences were supposed to be attributed to the influences of hydrogen atoms which chemisorbed on pure iron atoms appeared on the nascent surface made by sliding. Whether hydrogen and water have synergy effect on influencing tribological properties was not clarified in this study.