In order to investigate the effect of Si content on the microstructures and properties of directionally solidified (DS) Fe-B alloy, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive spectrum (EDS), and X-ray diffraction have been employed to investigate the as-cast microstructures of DS Fe-B alloy. The results show that Si can strongly refine the columnar microstructures of the DS Fe-B alloy, and the columnar grain thickness of the oriented Fe2B is reduced with the increase of Si addition. In addition, Si is mainly distributed in the ferrite matrix, almost does not dissolve in boride, and seems to segregate in the center of the columnar ferrite to cause a strong solid solution strengthening and refinement effect on the matrix, thus raising the microhardness of the matrix and bulk hardness of the DS Fe-B alloy.
It is an attributed fact that magnesium, in normal conditions, behaves as active or anodic material and steel as a noble or cathodic material in a galvanic cell. In the current study, various experiments have been conducted to investigate the electrochemical behavior of magnesium and mild steel galvanic couples in tap water and 0.1M NaHCO3 corrosive environments at different temperatures (40 ℃ to 80 ℃). The potentiodynamic results have confirmed that in tap water, magnesium acts as an anode as it corrodes itself and protects steel surfaces under the influence of galvanic action at selected temperatures. However, magnesium became passive under 0.1M NaHCO3 making steel anodic, which deteriorates aggressively at higher temperatures in 0.1M NaHCO3. The polarity reversal phenomenon was also observed in the magnesium-steel couple when exposed to this environment. The microstructural examination has shown that passivation occurred due to the formation of an oxide layer that grew towards the steel side in the galvanic couple as the temperature increased. Thus, the study revealed that the magnesium would be more damaging to steel in a NaHCO3 environment if utilized in the temperature range of 60 ℃to 80 ℃.
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