An innovative multiscale microstructural approach based on a secondary quenching heat treatment was adopted to increase resistance to fretting wear in a bearing steel. In this regard, the mechanisms associated with fretting wear are discussed. The wear-resistance was enabled by synergistic grain refinement and precipitation strengthening. By designing a dual-stage quenching process and employing multiscale characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the study comprehensively elucidates the effects of secondary quenching on austenite grain evolution, martensitic transformation, and nanoscale precipitation. The results demonstrated that secondary quenching significantly refined the austenite grain size from 18.61 ± 0.31 μm after single quenching (880 °C) to 5.23 ± 0.09 μm, with a refinement rate of ∼72 %—and simultaneously promoted the refinement and homogenization of martensitic laths. Electron microscopy studies revealed uniform dispersion of nanoscale carbides in the secondary-quenched samples, which effectively inhibited dislocation motion and interface migration, thereby enhancing matrix strengthening. In fretting wear tests conducted using a Si3N4 (silicon nitride) ball as the counterpart, the secondary-quenched samples exhibited an 18.2 % reduction in wear volume (down to (2.34 ± 0.03) × 106 μm3) compared to the single-quenched (880 °C) samples, together with noticeable reduction in both friction coefficient and wear rate. Surface morphology observations revealed smoother wear scars with significantly reduced spalling and cracking. Further analysis showed that secondary quenching facilitated the formation of a stable dynamic oxide film, reducing interfacial shear strength and shifting the dominant wear mechanism from brittle spalling to an oxidative–abrasive composite mode. This study provides both theoretical foundation and guidelines for microstructural design and performance optimization of high-reliability bearing materials.
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