The wear mechanism in view of the foregoing is believed to be as follows: The die bearing is subjected to hydrostatic normal stresses and resulting shear stresses, calculated by numerical analysis to be 40–150 MPa and 20–40 MPa, respectively, which gradually decrease towards the outlet of the bearing [28]. These stresses lead to the initiation of surface and subsurface cracks, which propagate along the grain boundaries. Subsurface and surface cracks have been observed by other investigators in the nitrided case of high alloy steels in pure sliding contact wear mode [29]. The shear forces acting on the bearing channel surface during extrusAnalysis of wear of a gas nitrided H13 tool steel die in aluminium extrusionion exceeds the fracture strength of the tool steel once a crack reaches a critical size. This is when a wear fragment is detached from the bearing surface. The crack initiation and propagation are probably controlled by a thermo-mechanical fatigue mechanism since the fracture strength of the tool steel cannot be overcome by the rather low shear strength of Al at extrusion temperatures. The extrusion process stops for a short while before a new billet is introduced into the press. This stop–start cycle is believed to play a vital role in the wear of the bearing. Surface degradation accelerates once the wear craters form. The entrapment of the flowing Al alloy in these cavities promotes the spallation of surface layers. Hard nitrided wear debris particles thus released provide a ploughing action and lead to the abrasion of the bearing channel. This process is encouraged further by the microstructural features of the surface layers. The excessive embrittlement across the diffusion layer due to the multiple nitriding operations, results in a brittle fracture mechanism [30]. This is quite typical for gas nitrided dies [31]. The brittle network of nitrides along the grain boundaries and a dispersion of fine nitrides across the diffusion zone both impact the wear process.