In this work, the effects of TIN additions on the microstructures and tensile behaviors of microalloyed powder metallurgy (PM) steels were investigated. The microstructure of the microaloyed PM steels was characterized by optic microscope, SEM and EDS. Results indicated that the addition of TiN in the percentage of 0.1, 0.2 or 0.5 increases the yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the PM steels in the sintered conditions. Elongation also tends to improve with increasing TiN content. In addition, TiN prevented grain growth during sintering prior to cooling.Keywords: Powder Metallurgy, Microalloyed Steel, Tensile Strength, SEM, EDS
INTRODUCTIONTendency towards the production of new types of materials for specific applications is increasing with each passing day because simple material types have not been able to meet the increasing demands in the last 20 years [1]. Two or more of the same or different groups of materials are combined together for the best features or to reveal a new feature. Microalloyed steels are group of steels which include niobium (Nb), vanadium (V) and titanium (Ti) with the range of 0.05% and 0.20 % and have superior properties such as high strength, high toughness, and low ductile brittle transition temperature [2]. One of the properties of microalloyed elements is that they perevent grain growth during sintering and austenitization with carbides and nitrides they have created. TiN are microalloyed precipitates that reduce grain growth, increase satiety, and are found insoluble in the HAZ area of the weld. Moreover, TiN is resistant to high temperatures, and it is widely used for wear protection [3 and 5]. Powder metallurgy (PM) production technology makes it possible to economically produce high-quality, complex parts. This manufacturing technique converts metal powder having different sizes, shapes and packing properties into strong, precise and high-performance parts [6]. In this study, the desired composition PM steel were produced with the powder metallurgy technique by adding TiN in different ratios into Fe matrix and resulting microstructure mechanical properties were compared.