Effects of vibration aging on residual stress and performance of instrument-grade TiC reinforced steel matrix composite

Abstract

• The influence of vibration aging on residual stress relief of composite. • The residual stress, hardness and magnetic property were analyzed. • The underlying mechanisms of the composite were revealed. • An optimal improvement of the composite was achieved. To further improve the long-term service reliability of high-precision inertial instruments prepared with TiC reinforced steel matrix composite materials, vibration aging treatment was carried out to improve the comprehensive properties of the instrument-grade composite. The effects of vibration aging on microstructure, stress relief, hardness, and magnetic properties of the stabilized composite were investigated, and the underlying mechanisms were also elucidated. The results showed that the vibration aging treatment significantly released the residual stress and improved the Vickers hardness of the composite, while also promoting the precipitation of fine carbides in the matrix and the microstructure transformation of metastable retained austenite to relatively stable martensite. When the vibration aging was conducted at 80 °C for 30–60 min, the composite possessed excellent comprehensive properties. During the vibration aging process, various mechanisms, such as residual stress relief, retained austenite–martensite transformation, and carbides precipitation acted on the composite, resulting in a significant improvement in the performance of TiC reinforced steel matrix composite.