High-manganese Hadfield cast steel is commonly used for machine components operating under dynamic load conditions. The high fracture toughness and abrasive wear resistance of this steel are the result of an austenitic structure, which—while being ductile—at the same time tends to surface harden under the effect of cold work. Absence of dynamic loads (e.g., in the case of sand abrasion) causes rapid and premature wear of parts. To improve the abrasive wear resistance of high-manganese cast steel for operation under the conditions free from dynamic loads, primary niobium carbides are produced in this cast steel during the melting process to obtain in castings, after melt solidification, the microstructure consisting of an austenitic matrix and primary niobium carbides uniformly distributed in this matrix. The measured hardness of the tested samples as cast and after solution heat treatment is 260–290 HV and is about 30–60 HV higher than the hardness of common Hadfield cast steel, which is 230 HV. Compared to common Hadfield cast steel, the abrasive wear resistance of the tested high-manganese cast steel measured in the Miller test is at least three times higher at the niobium content of 3.5 wt%. Increasing the niobium content to 4.5 wt%. in the tested samples increases this wear resistance even more.
Hardness, microstructure and abrasive wear resistance of cast high-manganese steel (cast Hadfield steel) were compared with the cast steel of the same austenitic matrix but having vanadium carbides uniformly distributed within its entire volume. The chemical composition of the cast steel was chosen in such a way as to produce a composite structure after the alloy solidification. A similar hardness of the matrix was obtained with carbides evenly distributed in it, while abrasive wear resistance doubled its value. Using the investment casting process, working elements of teeth for the excavators and mechanical coal miners were cast.Keywords: Cast tools, primary carbides, composite structure, abrasion resistance Porównano twardości, mikrostrukturę oraz odporność na ścieranie wysokomanganowego staliwa (Hadfielda) ze staliwem o identycznej osnowie austenitycznej, wewnątrz której rozmieszczone są węgliki wanadu. Skład chemiczny tego staliwa dobrano tak, aby po zakrzepnięciu stopu uzyskać strukturę kompozytu. Uzyskano podobną twardość osnowy, równomierne rozmieszczenie węglików i dwukrotny wzrost odporności na ścieranie. Wykorzystując metodę wytapianych modeli, odlano robocze elementy zębów do koparek lub kombajnów górniczych.
The results of the modification of austenitic matrix in cast high-manganese steel containing 11÷19% Mn with additions of Cr, Ni and Ti were discussed. The introduction of carbide-forming alloying elements to this cast steel leads to the formation in matrix of stable complex carbide phases, which effectively increase the abrasive wear resistance in a mixture of SiC and water. The starting material used in tests was a cast Hadfield steel containing 11% Mn and 1.34% C. The results presented in the article show significant improvement in abrasive wear resistance and hardness owing to the structure modification with additions of Cr and Ti.
Widely used in the power and mining industry, cast Hadfield steel is resistant to wear, but only when operating under impact loads. Components made from this alloy exposed to the effect of abrasion under load-free conditions are known to suffer rapid and premature wear. To increase the abrasion resistance of cast high-manganese steel under the conditions where no dynamic loads are operating, primary titanium carbides are formed in the process of cast steel melting, to obtain in the alloy after solidification and heat treatment, the microstructure composed of very hard primary carbides uniformly distributed in the austenitic matrix of a hardness superior to the hardness of common cast Hadfield steel. Hard titanium carbides ultimately improve the wear resistance of components operating under shear conditions. The measured microhardness of the as-cast matrix in samples tested was observed to increase with the increasing content of titanium and was 380 HV0.02 for the content of 0.4%, 410 HV0.02 for the content of 1.5% and 510 HV0.02 for the content of 2 and 2.5%. After solution heat treatment, the microhardness of the matrix was 460÷480 HV0.02 for melts T2, T3 and T6, and 580 HV0.02 for melt T4, and was higher than the values obtained in common cast Hadfield steel (370 HV0.02 in as-cast state and 340÷370 HV0.02 after solution heat treatment). The measured microhardness of alloyed cementite was 1030÷1270 HV0.02; the microhardness of carbides reached even 2650÷4000 HV0.02.
Cast Hadfield steel is characterised by high abrasion resistance, provided, however, that it is exposed to the effect of dynamic loads. During abrasion without loading, e.g. under the impact of loose sand jet, its wear resistance drops very drastically. To increase the abrasion resistance of this alloy under the conditions where no pressure is acting, primary vanadium carbides are formed in the metallurgical process, to obtain a composite structure after the melt solidification. The primary, very hard, carbides uniformly distributed in the austenitic matrix are reported to double the wear resistance of samples subjected to the effect of a silicon carbide-water mixture.
Hadfield cast steel is characterized by high wear resistance, but this is only when it is subjected to the effect of dynamic loads. During unloaded abrasion, e.g., sand abrasion, its wear resistance is very low and comparable to the wear of carbon cast steel. To increase the wear resistance of this alloy for operation under the conditions of low pressure or low stress, primary vanadium carbides were produced by the metallurgical process to obtain a two-phase structure after alloy solidification. Compared to samples made of Hadfield cast steel, the primary, very hard carbides, evenly distributed in an austenitic or austenitic-martensitic matrix, increase (at least three times) the wear resistance of samples tested in an abrasive mixture of silicon carbide and water. The changes in microstructure and hardness obtained in alloys after heat treatment (quenching at 1000–1150 °C in water and tempering at 600 °C) are presented. The bulk hardness of the matrix ranged from 370 HV to 660 HV. After heat treatment, the secondary, dispersed vanadium carbides, precipitated in the alloy matrix.
Cast austenitic chromium-nickel steel is commonly used for the manufacture of machine parts and components, which are exposed to the attack of corrosive media and abrasive wear during operation. The most commonly used grades include GX2CrNi18-9 and X10CrNi18-8 as well as GX2CrNiMo17-12-2 and X6CrNiMoNb17-12-2. To improve the abrasion resistance of cast chromium-nickel steel, primary niobium carbides were produced in the metallurgical process by increasing the carbon content and adding Fe-Nb. The microstructure of the obtained test castings consisted of an austenitic matrix and primary niobium carbides evenly distributed in this matrix. The measured hardness of the samples after heat treatment ranged from 215 to 240 HV and was higher by about 60 units than the hardness of the reference cast GX10CrNi18-9 steel, which had a hardness of about 180 HV. Compared to the reference cast steel, the abrasive wear resistance of the tested cast chromium-nickel steel (measured in Miller test) with contents of 4.4 and 5.4 wt% Nb increased only slightly, i.e., by 5% for the lower niobium content and 11% for the higher niobium content. Compared to ordinary cast GX10CrNi18-9 steel, the addition of 9.2 wt% Nb reduced the abrasive wear by almost 2.5 times.
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