Impact–abrasion wear characteristics of in-situ VC-reinforced austenitic steel matrix composite

In this investigation, in-situ precipitation of vanadium carbides was employed to reinforce Fe–13Mn and Fe–13Mn–3W alloys by means of conventional melting and casting route. Microstructures were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Mechanical properties of the materials were determined by hardness, impact toughness and tension tests. It was observed that tungsten improved the strength of the matrix and the reinforcements as well as tensile properties and work hardening rate of the VC-reinforced composite. Ball mill abrasion test was utilized to simulate impact–abrasion wear condition using two types of abrasive minerals. The results showed that the degree of benefit to be gained by the use of in-situ VC-reinforced composite materials depends strongly on crush strength of the abrasives. It was found that the studied particle-reinforced composite materials were only advantageous when the abrasives were relatively soft, providing low-stress abrasion condition