Reinforced Iron Matrix Composites Research Articles

Infiltration Casting and <i>In Situ</i> Fabrication of (Fe,Cr)<sub>7</sub>C<sub>3</sub> Particulates Bundle – Reinforced Iron Matrix Composites

The method of infiltration casting plus heat treatment process employing chromium wires and cast iron applied to in-situ synthesized (Fe,Cr)7C3 particulates bundle reinforced iron matrix composites. The phase analysis, microstructure, microhardness and wear-resistance of composite were observed and measured. The results show that it is possible to fabricate (Fe,Cr)7C3 particulates bundle reinforced iron matrix composite produced by this technology, and a special structure which called particulates bundle was fabricated. (Fe,Cr)7C3 particulates bundle were distributed in the forms of granular, lath-shaped and hexagon-shaped in the particulates bundle. The macrohardness of particulates bundle was 52 HRC, and the relative wear resistance of the composites is 2.3—23 times higher than that of the cast iron.

Microstructure and Abrasive Wear Characteristics of <i>In Situ</i> WC Bundles – Reinforced Iron Matrix Composites

An in-situ synthesis process combining an infiltration casting with a subsequent heat treatment was applied to fabricate special tungsten carbide (WC) bundles-reinforced iron matrix composites in this work. The microstructure and wear-resistance of the tungsten carbide bundles reinforced iron matrix composites were studied by using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and wear tester. Results showed that the tungsten carbide bundles distributed in the matrix with the center-to-center spacing 2.2 mm, and the diameter of each tungsten carbide bundle is about 1 mm. Most of the tungsten carbides agglomerated, but still there were tungsten carbide particles and the size of tungsten carbide particle was about 10—15 μm. The weight loss of the tungsten carbides bundle reinforced iron matrix composites increased with the increase of the loads and the weight loss of the composites is much less than those of the gray cast iron under the same condition. The wear mechanism of tungsten carbide bundles-reinforced iron matrix composites appears as: micro-cutting, micro-ploughing, broken tungsten carbide and broken particles re-embedded in the matrix.

Tungsten carbide-cobalt films prepared by arc ion plating : Z.Jin et al. (Academica Sinica, Shenyang, China.) Int. J. Refractory Metals Hard Mater., vol 16, no 2, 1998, 95–98

The ZrO2–Al2O3 (ZTA) ceramic particles reinforced iron matrix composite was a novel wear-resistance material because of their excellent toughness and hardness. However, the poor interfacial bonding property restricted the application of ZTAP/Fe composites in the harsh service condition. A continuous and uniform Ni80Cr20 coating on the ZTA ceramic surface was successfully prepared by multi-arc ion plating. The influence of NiCr coating on the interfacial character of ZTAP/Fe composites was investigated. The interface characteristics and phase constitutions of ZTAP/Fe composites were also analyzed by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the Ni80Cr20 coating can significantly improve the interfacial layer bonding of composites without visible defects. The diffusion of Ni and Cr and the formation of a continuous transition layer ensure the metallurgical bonding between ZTA ceramic and iron matrix. The composite N1 acquired better wear resistance than that of composite N2 without Ni80Cr20 coating, and the relative wear resistance was 1.98 times at the 55 N applied load. The interface of composite N1 was closely bonded with a transition layer, which may prevent the ceramic particles peeling off from the iron matrix during the wear process.

Effects of atmosphere on sintered properties of fibre and particle reinforced iron matrix composites: S.K. Mukherjee (University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia), Powder Metallurgy Science and Technology, Vol 3, No 4, 1992, 26–37

Effects of atmosphere on sintered properties of fibre and particle reinforced iron matrix composites: S.K. Mukherjee (University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia), Powder Metallurgy Science and Technology, Vol 3, No 4, 1992, 26–37