The Institute of Metal Physics has developed a new method for improving strength, wear resistance, and thermal stability of steels with martensitic structure; by a friction treatment, a nanostructural state with 40-nm crystallites is formed in the surface layer, and the escape of carbon atoms to the nanocrystallite boundaries is activated.

The treatment causes the surface layer hardness to increase by 20%, the thermal stability to grow to 450oC, and the wear resistance to improve by 10--30 times! The surface-hardened steel can be used in heavy-duty friction assemblies operating at high sliding speeds, in poor lubrication conditions, or in the presence of abrasive media.