## 1 Introduction  
High-carbon materials are characterized by the presence of carbides in their microstructure, which significantly influences their resistance to abrasive wear. The functional properties of the material during intense tribological interaction will be affected by the appropriate volumetric fraction and morphology of the carbide phases in the alloy [1; 2; 3]. A parameter that can significantly affect the wear of high-carbon materials is the stress to which the material is exposed during operation. Studies conducted on high-chromium cast irons have revealed that, as the load applied during testing increases, changes occur in the wear mechanism of the samples. In the case of low loads, microcracking of the surface layer of the material is observed. Increasing stress results in the development of brittle macrocracks on the worn surface. It has been found that the initiation sites for cracks are the carbides present in the material. Additionally, a factor intensifying material wear is the banded segregation of carbides in the material, creating paths for the easy propagation of the resulting cracks [4]. A similar effect can be observed in gradient materials. The application of low loads resulted in abrasive wear of the tested materials. Subsequently, as the stress on the material increased, an increasing proportion of adhesive wear was observed on the surface, and, at the highest load, cracking and spalling of the surface layer occurred. Besides changing the wear mechanism, the stress value during the tribological test also influences the intensity of wear in high-carbon materials. With increasing stress and the speed of movement of the samples relative to each other, an increase in wear intensity is observed. Small changes in load cause a stable increase in material wear, while a significant increase in stress values results in an exponential, rather than linear, increase in mass loss [5; 6]. In the case of high-carbon materials, the carbon content itself also significantly affects the wear process. As the carbon content increases, the wear value becomes progressively lower, which is related to the increasing involvement of carbides in the wear process [7; 8; 9; 10]. However, a continuous increase in the volumetric fraction of carbides can facilitate the cracking of the material during its operation. It has been observed that materials characterized by a significant volumetric fraction of carbides are prone to chipping and cracking. Increasing loads during tribological tests can cause easier cracking of carbides with complex shapes. It has been observed that, as the heterogeneity of the distribution of carbides in the microstructure increases, the fracture toughness of the material deteriorates [11; 12; 13; 14]. Changes in the size distribution of carbides and their spheroidization can significantly improve the toughness of high-carbon steels. The application of heat treatment involving cyclic heating and cooling of the material within the carbide dissolution range can refine the material structure by fragmenting the carbide precipitates and obtaining a more spheroidal shape. Similarly, quenching and subsequent complex tempering treatments result in the precipitation of fine carbides, effectively strengthening the material [15; 16]. Recent publications have paid particular attention to the role of carbides in the tribological wear process. When evaluating the effect of the spheroidization process on the carbides present in the material, it can be observed that obtaining spherical cementie in a bainitic matrix leads to a visible improvement in the tribological wear resistance of the material. The carbide precipitates obtained were characterized by a diameter of approximately 1 \(\upmu\)m. At the same time, a non-negligible effect of larger primary carbide precipitates on the improved wear resistance of the material was also observed [17]. The process of cementie spheroidization to improve wear resistance was also confirmed in the work [18].