Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the influence of adding Al2O3 nano-particles of 0.5 wt. % with the mean particle size of 500 nm on the mechanical properties and wear behaviour of the austenitic stainless steel matrix reinforced with nano-particles produced by conventional ingot casting. The focus was on the methods and possibilities of homogeneous and uniform distribution of the particles within the steel matrix using conventional casting routes. The main drawback of the casting method used is the agglomeration of the particles and poor interface between the particles and the metal matrix. The results show that through a proper insertion method, nano-particles can be successfully introduced into the metal matrix. The Al2O3 nano-particles were successfully incorporated into the steel matrix with no signs of clustering and intermetallic reactions taking place between the nano-particles and the steel matrix. This led to improved mechanical properties as well as the wear behaviour of the stainless steel, achieved by using conventional casting routes.
Highlights
Austenitic stainless steel alloys are known for their excellent resistance to corrosion and high ductility, and are used in the aerospace, defence, and biomedical domains [1]
The results show that through a proper insertion method, nano-particles can be successfully introduced into the metal matrix
From the light microscopy (LM) micrographs it was established that the matrix consists of a distinctive two-phase microstructure of austenite and δ-ferrite
Summary
Austenitic stainless steel alloys are known for their excellent resistance to corrosion and high ductility, and are used in the aerospace, defence, and biomedical domains [1]. Even though austenitic stainless steels are widely used materials, their mechanical properties and wear resistance could be further improved Strategies to achieve this goal have entailed incorporating secondary phases such as ceramic particulates with sizes in the micron range at the matrix grain boundaries [2]. Most nanostructured materials are fundamentally different from conventional polycrystalline ones and lead to improvements in parameters such as the yield strength, toughness, and hardness because of the resulting microstructural refinement [5,6,9] The use of these materials as reinforcing secondary phases is likely to improve the performance of steel alloys with respect to engineering applications such as gas turbines, automobiles, and biomedical devices [10, 11]. This is due to poor wettability of nano-particles with large surface areas in molten metals
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