Cast Austenitic Stainless Steel Reinforced with WC Fabricated by Ex Situ Technique

Abstract

In this study, the process of reinforcing austenitic stainless steel with tungsten carbide (WC) particles prepared by an ex situ technique was investigated. More specifically, the effect of microstructural features on the properties of the resulting WC–metal matrix composite (WC-MMC) was studied. For that purpose, porous Fe-WC preforms, prepared by the ex situ technique, were fixed in the mold cavity where they reacted with the molten steel. As confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), the resulting composite showed a compositional and microstructural gradient in depth. The microstructure next to the surface is essentially martensite with large WC particles. From this region to the base metal, the dissolution of the original WC particles increased, being closely related to the formation of new carbides: (Fe,W,Cr)6C, (Fe,Cr,W)7C3, and (Fe,Cr,W)23C6. At the interface bonding, a sound microstructure free of discontinuities was achieved. Furthermore, the mechanical tests indicated that the WC-MMC is four times harder and more wear-resistant than the base metal.

Heat Treating Effect on WC-Co Tool Tip Scraps Reinforcement in Hadfield Austenitic Manganese Steel

“…However, WC-Co tool tip scraps face the issue of oxidation at high temperatures [20][21][22][23]. In this study, MMC was produced using the in situ casting technique due to its ease of process, relatively low cost, and lower energy requirements compared to other processes [19,24,25]. The in situ cast MMC was subjected to high-temperature heat treatment to investigate the effect of temperature on the properties of the MMC.…”

Effect of TiC Content on Microstructure and Wear Performance of 17-4PH Stainless Steel Composites Manufactured by Indirect Metal 3D Printing

“…Commonly used ceramic particles are TiC, TiN, SiC, WC, etc. [12][13][14][15][16]. Among these hard ceramic particles, TiC has excellent physical and chemical properties such as a high melting point, high hardness, low density, wear resistance, and thermal stability.…”