At higher contact pressures as observed in the CT test, the surface is grooved by the abrasive particles, implying that wear resistance is significantly improved by impeding indentations. Hence, there are two obvious options for increasing the wear resistance: the first option is to increase the size of the hard phase as is the case for the cast iron. As shown in Section 3.2.2, this option leads to an increased amount of microcracking of the hard phases. The second option is to reinforce the matrix with fine carbides as observed for the PM steel, since the degree of penetration of abrasive particles will be reduced. Cross sectional analysis yields further information about the wear mechanisms since subsurface damages is observed and accurate determination of the depth of surface grooves is obtained.