Achieving the Superior Abrasive Wear Resistance in ZTA_P/Fe Composites from the Theoretical Calculations Guided Designing of Metallurgical Interface Transition Layer

Using the first-principles calculations and phonon QHA method, the thermodynamic stability, mechanical and thermophysical properties of binary Ni-Ti phases are obtained. The most thermodynamically feasible binary Ni₃Ti phase with a superior elasticity and mechanical tensile strength is designed as the interfacial transition layer between ZTA ceramic particles and iron matrix. A high-Cr white cast iron matrix composite reinforced with ZTA particles is fabricated via infiltration casting process. The microstructures and three-body abrasive wear resistance of the composite are investigated. The obtained ZTA_P/Fe composite has a compact metallic Ni₃Ti metallurgical transition layer with a small amount of AlNi₂Ti and TiO phases in the interfacial region, leading to a strongly adhesion between iron matrix and ZTA ceramic particles due to the presence of covalent Ti-O, Fe-O and Zr-O bonds. The composite exhibits the relative wear resistance 12.9 times higher than that of reference Cr15 specimen. The wear mechanism of the ZTA_P/Fe composite is mainly attributed to the removal of iron matrix under the SiO₂ abrasives, as revealed from the secondary electron images and laser scanning confocal topography.