Abstract
In this work, austenitic stainless steel specimens were locally reinforced with WC particles. The reinforcements were fabricated via an ex situ technique based on powder technology. Mixtures of WC, Fe, and M0101 binder were cold-pressed to obtain powder compacts. After debinding and sintering, the porous WC–Fe inserts were fixed in a mold cavity, where they reacted with liquid metal. Microstructural analysis was conducted for characterization of the phases constituting the produced reinforcement zone and the bonding interface. The results revealed that the reinforcement is a graded material with compositional and microstructural gradients throughout its thickness. The zone nearest to the surface has a ferrous matrix with homogeneously distributed WC particles and (Fe,W,Cr)6C and (Fe,W,Cr)3C carbides, formed from the liquid metal reaction with the insert. This precipitation leads to austenite destabilization, which transforms into martensite during cooling. A vast dissolution of the WC particles occurred in the inner zones, resulting in more intense carbides formation. Cr-rich carbides ((Fe,Cr,W)7C3, and (Fe,Cr,W)23C6) formed in the interdendritic regions of austenite; this zone is characterized by coarse dendrites of austenite and a multi-phase interdendritic network composed of carbides. An interface free of discontinuities and porosities indicates good bonding of the reinforcement zone to stainless steel.
Highlights
Austenitic stainless steels are the largest family of stainless steels in terms of number of alloys and applications
The microstructure of the heat-treated specimens was characterized by optical microscopy (OM) using a Leica DM4000 M with a DMC 2900 camera (Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy-dispersive detector (EDS)
Powders microstructure the heat-treated specimens was characterized by optical microscopy (OM)
Summary
Austenitic stainless steels are the largest family of stainless steels in terms of number of alloys and applications. These steels are widely used due to their high corrosion resistance in aqueous media at room temperature and in applications with hot gases and liquids at high temperatures, such as sulfuric acid environments with temperatures up to 540 ◦ C [1]. Despite the broad range of industrial applications, austenitic stainless steels show poor wear resistance that limits their use in components for industrial applications that demand both high corrosion and wear resistance [5,6,7]. The great advantage of this method is that it makes it possible to produce components of complex geometry with high corrosion and wear performance [24,25,26]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
