The effect of solute Cu and Cu precipitates on the wear behavior of ferritic iron under an unlubricated condition was investigated. The specific wear rate of Cu-containing steel abruptly decreased up to 50 N of load, and then gradually decreased with further increased load. The specific wear rate of the as-quenched specimen, in which Cu was in a solid solution, was the lowest among all the specimens at low loads, and all specimens had almost the same specific wear rate at high loads. Subsurface observation showed that the hardness increments of all specimens decreased with increased depth below the worn surface. The as-quenched specimen had a relatively large depth of deformed region than the other specimens even though the increments in hardness were almost the same for all specimens at low loads. With the same hardness at an unworn state, the as-quenched and over-aged specimens exhibited a substantial increase in hardness and large deformed regions below the worn surfaces. This finding indicated that the enhancement in plastic deformation and work hardening led to the decrease in the specific wear rate of the as-quenched specimen at low loads and the improvement in the wear resistance of all specimens at high loads.
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