This study used the strengthening grinding process (SGP) to treat the surface of 30CrMnSiA bearing steels. The effect of the jet angle of SGP on the tribological properties of 30CrMnSiA bearing steels under lubrication was investigated. The principle of enhancing wear resistance of 30CrMnSiA bearing steel ascribed to SGP was discussed in detail. The results showed that the lubrication properties and surface hardness of the 30CrMnSiA steels were enhanced due to the formation of numerous microscale microscope oil pockets on the surface layer and the grain refinement of the surface microstructures, resulting in a significant improvement in wear resistance. With the jet angle of SGP increased from 0° to 90°, the friction coefficient, the wear volume, and the specific wear rate were exhibited to reduce rapidly first, then reduce slowly, and then rise slowly. With the optimal parameters at the jet angle of 60°, compared with the control sample, the average friction coefficient was reduced from 0.2235 to 0.1609, and the wear volume and specific wear rate were reduced from 9.04 × 10-3 mm3 to 3.82 × 10-3 mm3 and from 15.13 × 10-3 mm2/N to 6.36 × 10-3 mm2/N, respectively. When the jet angle was 90°, the reduced wear resistance was mainly attributed to the excessive roughness that caused the oil coating on the surface to be severely damaged.
Keywords: 30CrMnSiA steel; lubrication; strengthening grinding process; tribological properties.