Interfacial phenomena in Fe-TiC systems and the effect of Cr and Ni

Abstract

Titanium carbide is used as reinforcement component in composites due to its stability, hardness and wear resistance. A potential application is local reinforcement of stainless steel castings in which TiC is added only to the surfaces, which acquire wear resistance. This work is part of the study in which Ti and C are added in the mould during casting of stainless steel to form TiC at a specific surface. Wettability, stability and dissolution of the reinforcement particles are key phenomena in producing these composites in liquid state. Wetting experiments between TiC and Fe as well as FeNi and FeCr alloys were performed in order to get information about wettability, dissolution and formation of TiC and other phases related to the systems. Contact angles for the systems were attained without any reactions between the substrate and the alloy during heating. Wetting was not significantly improved by adding Ni or Cr. Dissolution of TiC was very strong into all the alloys. No new phases at the interface were formed in the experiments except for Cr-carbides in Cr-containing alloys. These results gave important information about the interfacial phenomena needed in developing the production methods.