Effects of Mn addition on the two-body abrasive wear behavior of Fe-3.0 wt% B alloy

Effects of Mn addition on the microstructure, mechanical properties and two-body wear behavior of Fe-3.0 wt% B alloy were systematically investigated. The result indicates that, with Mn addition ranging from 0 to 2.5 wt%, Mn atoms tend to aggregate in the boride; the phase composition and microstructure have little change; macrohardness of the heat treated alloy changes little, while the fracture toughness of Fe₂B and wear resistance of the alloy can be improved. During the wear process, the boride brittleness does indispensable harm to wear resistance. By comparison, the alloy with 2.0 wt% Mn presents the best wear resistance and greatest boride toughness. In conclusion, the wear resistance improvement can be supposed to result from the fracture toughness improvement of the boride.