Effects of chromium carbide on the microstructures and wear resistance of high speed steel obtained by powder injection moulding route

ABSTRACT

The effects of chromium carbide on the microstructures and wear resistance of high speed steel were studied. Metal matrix composites (MMCs), based on M2 high speed steel reinforced with different percentages of Cr₃C₂, were produced following a metal injection moulding route: feedstock manufacturing, injection, debinding and sintering. The weight fraction of hard second phase particles in tool steels is limited by the formation of large interconnected carbides that embrittle the alloy. Additions of up to 14 wt-% Cr₃C₂ were successfully prepared. The influence of the chromium carbide content on the optimum sintering temperature was analysed. The mechanical properties of the sintered composites were obtained by measuring hardness and wear behaviour. Microstructure and wear mechanisms were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopic observations. These results, together with X-ray diffraction characterisation and EDS analysis, allow explanation of the mechanisms responsible for the wear behaviour.

This paper is part of a special issue on the Advances in Materials and Processing Technologies (AMPT) 2015 and has subsequently been revised and extended before publication in Powder Metallurgy.

KEYWORDS:

• Powder injection moulding
• tool materials
• high speed steel
• composites
• wear resistance

Acknowledgements

This paper is based on an oral presentation at AMPT congress, organised by Institute Imdea Materials and Universidad Carlos III, Spain on 14–17 December 2015.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Gemma Herranz is a tenured professor in Universidad de Castilla La Mancha and she is the responsible for the UCLM PIM Research Laboratory. She has more than 15 year of expertise in PIM technology.

Grzegorz Matula is an assistant professor of Silesian University of Technology with more than 50 contributions on sintering and PIM field.

Ana Romero is a PhD student of Universidad de Castilla La Mancha.

Additional information

Funding

The authors are grateful to Universidad de Castilla La Mancha for the financial support for stays of visiting researchers granted on the campus of Ciudad Real (2015).