CONCLUSIONS
The slip of steel 3 at steel 45 under the action of high contact current density (above 100 A/cm2 ) without lubrication changes the structure of the surface layer: specifically, a layer of secondary structures is formed. The thickness of that layer increases with increase in the current density and is 50 μm in the case of catastrophic wear. At the onset of catastrophic wear, the layer thickness of the secondary structures begins to depend more sharply on the current. The mean contact temperature increases with increase in the contact current density. When the slip surface is heated above 500°C, catastrophic wear appears. The wear rate depends linearly on the contact temperature in normal wear.