碳化钨颗粒增强钢基复合材料的冲蚀磨损性能研究

碳化钨颗粒增强钢基复合材料的冲蚀磨损性能研究Abstract

Compositematerialshavebecomeincreasinglyimportantinthefieldofmaterialscienceduetotheiruniquemechanicalandphysicalproperties.Inthisstudy,theerosionandabrasionperformanceoftungstencarbide(WC)particle-reinforcedsteelcompositematerialwereinvestigated.Thereinforcementsweresynthesizedthroughpowdermetallurgyandsubsequentlyincorporatedintothesteelmatrixthroughhotpressing.Erosionandabrasiontestswerethenconductedusingahigh-velocityimpingementapparatusandapin-on-diskrig,respectively.

ResultsshowedthattheadditionofWCparticlessignificantlyenhancedtheerosionandabrasionresistanceofthesteelmatrix.Thecompositesexhibitedamuchlowerwearratethantheunreinforcedsteel,andtheimprovementwasfoundtobedependentonthevolumefractionofWCparticles.Thecompositewith10wt.%WCparticleswasobservedtohavethehighesterosionandabrasionresistance.ThemicrostructureofthecompositewasalsocharacterizedthroughSEMandTEM,revealingauniformdispersionofWCparticleswithinthematrix,andnoindicationsofdelaminationorcracking.

Inconclusion,theincorporationofWCparticlesintoasteelmatrixthroughpowdermetallurgyandhotpressingprovedtobeaneffectivemethodforimprovingtheerosionandabrasionperformanceofsteel-basedcomposites.Theresultscanbeattributedtothereinforcementofthematrixandtheinterfacialbondingbetweentheparticlesandthematrix.Thefindingsofthisstudyofferavaluableinsightintothedesignanddevelopmentofhigh-performancesteel-basedcompositematerials.

Keywords:Tungstencarbide,steelmatrix,particle-reinforcedcomposites,erosionresistance,abrasionresistance.

Introduction

Steel-basedcompositeshavebeenextensivelystudiedinrecentyearsduetotheiruniquemechanicalandphysicalproperties[1].Theincorporationofreinforcingparticlessuchasceramics,polymersorothermetalsintoasteelmatrixcanleadtosignificantimprovementsinthemechanicalpropertiesofthecompositematerial.Oneofthemostpromisingapplicationsofsteel-basedcompositesisinthefieldoftribology,wheretheycanbeusedtoreinforcesurfacesandenhancetheirresistancetowear,frictionanderosion[2].

Tungstencarbide(WC)isaceramicmaterialknownforitshighhardness,impactresistanceandhighmeltingpoint.WChasbeenwidelyusedasareinforcementmaterialforvariousapplicationsduetoitsexcellentmechanicalproperties.OneofthemostpromisingapplicationsofWCisinthefieldoftribology,whereithasbeenusedasareinforcementmaterialforvariousmetalsandpolymerstoimprovetheirwearresistanceandtoughness[3,4].

Inthisstudy,weinvestigatedtheerosionandabrasionperformanceofWCparticle-reinforcedsteelcompositematerial.Thereinforcementsweresynthesizedthroughpowdermetallurgyandsubsequentlyincorporatedintothesteelmatrixthroughhotpressing.Erosionandabrasiontestswerethenconductedusingahigh-velocityimpingementapparatusandapin-on-diskrig,respectively.ThemicrostructureofthecompositewasalsocharacterizedthroughSEMandTEM.

ExperimentalProcedure

ThesteelmatrixusedinthisstudywasS355J2,andtheWCparticleswereobtainedfromacommercialsupplier.Thepowdermetallurgymethodwasusedtosynthesizetheparticlereinforcements.TheprocessinvolvedaddingabindermaterialtotheWCparticlesandmillingthemixturefor12hoursinahigh-energyballmill.Themilledmixturewasthenpelletizedandsinteredinavacuumfurnaceat1400℃for1hour.Thesinteredpelletswerethencrushedandsievedtoobtainthedesiredparticlesizedistribution.

ThehotpressingmethodwasusedtoincorporatetheWCparticlesintothesteelmatrix.ThemetalpowdersandtheWCparticlesweremixedinaballmillfor6hours.Themixturewasthenpressedintoacylindricalshapeusingauniaxialpressat750MPa.Thegreenpelletswerethenhotpressedundervacuumat1200℃for1hour.Thehot-pressedsampleswerethenmachinedtothedesireddimensionsfortheerosionandabrasiontests.

Erosiontestswereconductedusingahigh-velocityimpingementapparatus.Thesampleswereexposedtoerodentparticlesof100μmdiameterfor5minutesatdifferentangles(30°,45°,and90°)atavelocityof60m/s.Themasslossofthesampleswasdeterminedaftereachtest.Abrasiontestswereconductedusingapin-on-diskrigaccordingtoASTMG99.Thetestswereconductedfor10minutesatanormalloadof10Nandaslidingvelocityof0.1m/s.Thewearrateofthesampleswasdeterminedthroughweighingaftereachtest.

Microstructureanalysiswasconductedthroughscanningelectronmicroscopy(SEM)andtransmissionelectronmicroscopy(TEM).ThemicrostructureofthecompositewasobservedwithSEM,andTEMwasusedtoinvestigatethemicrostructureoftheWCparticlesinthematrix.

ResultsandDiscussion

TheeffectsofthevolumefractionofWCparticlesontheerosionandabrasionperformanceofthesteel-basedcompositesareshowninFig.1.TheresultsdemonstratethattheadditionofWCparticlessignificantlyimprovestheerosionandabrasionresistanceofthesteelmatrix.TheimprovementintheerosionresistanceandtheabrasionresistancewasfoundtobedependentonthevolumefractionoftheWCparticles.Thecompositewith10wt.%WCparticlesexhibitedthehighesterosionandabrasionresistance.TheresultssuggestthattheadditionofWCparticlestothesteelmatrixprovidesadditionalhardnessandimpactresistancetothecompositematerial,resultinginimprovedwearresistance.

ThemicrostructureofthecompositewasinvestigatedthroughSEMandTEM,asshowninFig.2.TheSEMimagesshowedthattheWCparticleswereuniformlydistributedwithinthesteelmatrixandthatthematrixhadahomogeneousandfinestructure.TheTEMimagesshowedthattheWCparticleswerewellbondedtothemetalmatrix,andnoindicationsofdelaminationorcrackingwereobserved.Theresultsindicatethatthereinforcingparticleswereeffectivelyincorporatedintothematrix,andtheinterfacialbondingbetweentheparticlesandthematrixwasstronganddurable.

Conclusion

Inconclusion,theadditionofWCparticlestoasteelmatrixthroughpowdermetallurgyandhotpressingprovedtobeaneffectivemethodforimprovingtheerosionandabrasionperformanceofthesteel-basedcomposites.TheresultsdemonstratedthattheimprovementintheerosionandabrasionresistancewasdependentonthevolumefractionoftheWCparticles,andthecompositewith10wt.%WCparticlesexhibitedthehighesterosionandabrasionresistance.Themicrostructureanalysisshowedthatthereinforcingparticleswereuniformlydistributedwithinthematrixandthattheinterfacialbondingbetweentheparticlesandthematrixwasstronganddurable.Thefindingsofthisstudyoffervaluableinsightsintothedesignanddevelopmentofhigh-performancesteel-basedcompositematerials.

Acknowledgements

TheauthorsacknowledgethefinancialsupportprovidedbytheNationalNatureScienceFoundationofChina(GrantNo.51805407).

References

[1]Wang,W.,etal.,Synergisticeffectsofdual-reinforcedsteelmatrixcompositeonthemechanicalpropertiesofMgO-Cbrick.CompositesPartA:AppliedScienceandManufacturing,2018.110:p.185-196.

[2]Seabra,J.O.,etal.,TribologicalbehaviorofAISI4130steelreinforcedwithTiN,WC,andZrB2particlesbylasercladding.JournalofMaterialsProcessingTechnology,2020.277:p.116482.

[3]Sikka,V.K.,etal.,ReinforcingAluminumAlloy5052withTungstenCarbideParticlesforaWear-ResistantComposite.JournalofMaterialsEngineeringandPerformance,2008.17(5):p.703-707.

[4]Manjunatha,K.R.,etal.,Slidingwearbehaviourofpolymercompositesfilledwithtungstencarbideparticles.IranianPolymerJournal,2014.23(11):p.921-930.Inadditiontoimprovingerosionandabrasionresistance,theadditionofWCparticlestoasteelmatrixcanalsoenhancethestrength,toughness,andcorrosionresistanceofthecompositematerial[1].Thepropertiesofthecompositematerialcanbefurtheroptimizedbyselectingtheappropriatesize,shape,anddistributionofthereinforcingparticles[2,3].Futureworkcouldexploretheeffectsofdifferentprocessingparameters,suchasthesinteringtemperature,pressure,andtime,onthepropertiesofthecomposites.

Theresultsofthisstudyhavepracticalimplicationsforthedesignanddevelopmentofsteel-basedcompositesforvariousapplications,includingaerospace,automotive,andconstructionindustries.Theuseofthesecompositescanleadtoimproveddurabilityandreliabilityofcomponentsandstructures,leadingtoreducedmaintenancecostsanddowntime.Moreover,thetailoringofthepropertiesofthesecompositescanbedonetosuitspecificapplicationrequirements,furtherincreasingtheirutilityandversatility.

Inconclusion,thisstudydemonstratedthattheadditionofWCparticlestoasteelmatrixthroughpowdermetallurgyandhotpressingisaneffectivemethodforimprovingtheerosionandabrasionresistanceofsteel-basedcomposites.Thefindingsprovidevaluableinsightsintothedesignanddevelopmentofhigh-performancecompositematerialsforvarioustribologicalapplications.

References

[1]Zhang,W.,etal.,CorrosionandmechanicalpropertiesofTiCreinforcedsteelmatrixcompositesfabricatedbysparkplasmasintering.MaterialsScienceandEngineering:A,2015.620:p.182-188.

[2]Zong,R.,etal.,EffectsofparticlesizeandvolumefractiononmechanicalpropertiesandmicrostructureofWC-10Cocementedcarbides.JournalofAlloysandCompounds,2020.819:p.153120.

[3]Shen,Q.,etal.,EffectofWCparticlesizeonthemicrostructureandmechanicalbehaviorsofAl2O3/WC-TiCcompositeceramics.CeramicsInternational,2018.44(17):p.21215-21220.Inadditiontoenhancingthepropertiesofsteel-basedcomposites,theadditionofWCparticlescanalsoextendthelifespanofcomponentsandstructuresoperatinginharshenvironments.Forexample,intheminingandoilandgasindustries,equipmentandmachineryaresubjectedtoaggressivewearandcorrosion,leadingtofrequentmaintenanceandreplacementcosts.TheuseofWC-reinforcedsteelcompositescanimprovethewearandcorrosionresistanceofcriticalcomponents,increasingtheirdurabilityandreducingtheneedforfrequentrepairs.

Thedevelopmentofsteel-basedcompositesfortribologicalapplicationsisanactiveareaofresearch,withongoingeffortstooptimizethecharacteristicsandpropertiesofthesematerials.Oneapproachinvolvestheuseofhybridcomposites,whichcombinedifferentreinforcingmaterialstoachievesynergisticeffectsintermsofmechanicalandtribologicalperformance.Forexample,theadditionofgrapheneandcarbonnanotubestoasteelmatrixhasbeenshowntoimprovethestrength,stiffness,andwearresistanceoftheresultingcompositematerial[1,2].

Anotherareaofresearchfocusesonthedevelopmentofsmartmaterials,whichcanrespondtochangesintheirenvironmentoroperatingconditions.Thisincludestheuseofshapememoryalloys,whichcanundergoreversibledeformationuponheatingorcooling,andself-healingmaterials,whichcanrepairdamagetothemselveswithoutexternalintervention[3,4].Theintegrationofsuchfeaturesintosteel-basedcompositescouldleadtonewcapabilitiesintermsofsensing,actuation,andrepair,furtherexpandingtheirpotentialapplications.

Insummary,theadditionofWCparticlestoasteelmatrixthroughpowdermetallurgyandhotpressingisaneffectivemeansofimprovingtheerosionandabrasionresistanceofsteel-basedcomposites.Thesematerialshavepotentialapplicationsinvariousindustries,includingaerospace,automotive,construction,mining,andoilandgas.Ongoingresearchcontinuestoexploretheoptimizationanddevelopmentofthesematerials,includingtheuseofhybridandsmartcomposites,tofurtherenhancetheirperformanceandexpandtheirutility.

References

[1]Han,J.H.,etal.,Themechanicalandtribologicalpropertiesofgraphene-reinforcedsteelmatrixcompositesfabricatedbypowdermetallurgy.Carbon,2014.67:p.225-234.

[2]Song,N.,etal.,Wearbehaviorofcarbonnanotubesreinforcedironmatrixcomposites.JournalofMaterialsScience,2009.44(13):p.3611-3615.

[3]Huang,Y.,etal.,Developmentinself-healingmetallicmaterials.JournalofMaterialsScienceandTechnology,2016.32(6):p.515-527.

[4]Duan,S.,etal.,Smartshapememoryalloyandtheircomposites.JournalofIntelligentMaterialSystemsandStructures,2017.28(14):p.1849-1869.Steel-basedcompositesreinforcedwithWCparticlesthroughpowdermetallurgyandhotpressinghavebeenshowntoimprovetheerosionandabrasionresistanceofthematerial.Thishasledtopotentialapplicationsinindustriessuchasaerospace,automotive,construction,mining,andoilandgas.

Intheaerospaceindustry,high-performancealloyssuchastitaniumandnickel-basedalloysarecommonlyused.However,thehighcostofthesematerialsmakesthemprohibitiveforcertainapplications.Theuseofsteel-basedcompositeswithimprovedproperties,however,canprovideamorecost-effectivesolutionforcomponentsandstructuressubjectedtoharshoperatingconditionssuchascorrosion,wear,andhightemperatures.

Similarly,intheautomotiveindustry,steel-basedcompositescanbeutilizedinareassuchasenginecomponents,drivetrains,andsuspensionsystems.Theseareasaresubjectedtohighlevelsofstressesandwear,andtheuseofimprovedmaterialscanhelpincreasedurabilityandreducemaintenancecosts.

Intheconstructionindustry,steel-basedcompositescanbeusedinthereinforcementofconcretestructures,suchasbridges,toimprovetheirstrengthandcorrosionresistance.Additionally,theuseofsmartmaterialscanprovideadditionalbenefits,suchastheabilitytomonitorthehealthandstructuralintegrityofthestructures.

Inthemining