Erosive wear and wear mechanism of in situ TiC_P/Fe composites

The base structure of in situ TiC_P/Fe composites fabricated under industrial condition was changed by different heat treatments. Erosive wear tests were carried out and the results were compared with that of wear-resistant white cast iron. The results suggest that the wear resistance of the in situ TiC_P/Fe composite is higher than that of wear-resistant white cast iron under the sand erosive wear condition. The wear mechanism of the wear-resistant white cast iron was a cycle process that base surface was worn and carbides were exposed, then carbides was broken and wear pits appeared. While the wear mechanism of in situ TiC_P/Fe composite was a cycle process that base surface was worn and TiC grains were exposed and dropped. The wear resistance of in situ TiC_P/Fe composite was lower than that of wear-resistant white cast iron under the slurry erosive wear condition. Under such circumstance, the material was not only undergone erosive wear but also electrochemistry erosion due to the contact with water in the medium. The wear behaviours can be a combination of two kinds of wear and the sand erosive wear is worse than slurry erosive wear.