Microstructure and properties of Fe-B-C cast wear-resistant alloy

The microstructure, toughness, hardness and wear resistance of Fe-B-C cast wear-resistant alloy were studied. The results indicate that, the as-cast Fe-B-C alloy comprises pearlite, ferrite and eutectic phase Fe2 (B, C). With the increasing boron and carbon contents, the boride volume fraction (BVF) and macrohardness increase. Furthermore, when boron content increases from about 0.5 wt.% to 2.0 wt.%, the macrohardness will become smaller with increasing the carbon content. The results also indicate that the Fe2 (B, C) becomes coarser than that as cast condition after heat-treatment, and the boron content has less effect on the martensite hardness at the same carbon content. With the increasing boron and carbon contents, the hardness of the samples increases and inversely the toughness decreases. At a lower BVF, the matrix plays a dominant role on the impact toughness of Fe-B-C alloy; however, at a higher BVF, the BVF plays a dominant role. The wear test results indicate that the weight loss of the samples decreases with increasing the boron and carbon contents, namely, the increase of wear resistance can be enhanced.