The Effects of Al 2 O 3 Amount on the Microstructure and Properties of Fe-Cr Matrix Composites
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INTRODUCTION
IN order to fulfill the demand for new materials with improved properties and reduced processing costs, particulate metal matrix composites of iron based material have been the subject of intensive investigation. Iron and its alloys are the most widely used materials in engineering applications due to their excellent properties, such as high stiffness, high strength and toughness, good machinability, and weldability, with a possibility of hardening through heat treatment. For instance, they are used in the construction of buildings, bridges, pipeline transport, aerospace engineering, and automobiles. The incorporation of particulate ceramics into iron matrices significantly improves certain material properties: it offers higher hardness, higher strength at elevated temperatures, and wear resistance compared to monolithic iron. To resist abrasive wear, iron based alloys are usually used.[1] A great number of processes have been developed to produce selectively reinforced materials, but the powder metallurgy process is most competitive because of its low cost, ability to produce composites with high productivity, and the possibility to fabricate components with complex geometry.[2] Complex-shaped machine elements such as gears, bearings, connecting rods, cams, etc. made using the powder metallurgy SAIDATULAKMAR SHAMSUDDIN, PhD Student, is with the Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia. SHAMSUL BAHARIN JAMALUDIN, Research Scholar, is with the School of Materials Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia. ZUHAILAWATI HUSSAIN and ZAINAL ARIFIN AHMAD, Research Scholars, are with the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Seri Ampangan, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Prai Selatan, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Contact e-mail: [email protected] Manuscript submitted March 26, 2010. Article published online October 1, 2010 3452—VOLUME 41A, DECEMBER 2010
process favorable in terms of properties and cost.[3] From an economical aspect, the powder metallurgy method is suitable for manufacturing large series of small and relatively complex-shaped components with smaller material consumption.[4] An advantage of the powder metallurgy technique over other methods is its ability to fabricate composites with a large fraction of reinforcement. The most effective way to improve the wear resistance of metal matrix composites is by using particles as reinforcement.[5] Research published on powder metallurgy iron matrix composites with reinforcing agents such as Al2O3 is very limited. However, there are some reported studies on iron aluminide-Al2O3 systems: Fe3Al-Al2O3, by References 6 and 7, which describe the method of processing composites of intermetallics such as iron aluminide/alumina for high-temperature structural applications,[8] which describe the rapid synthesis of Al2O3 reinforced Fe-Cr-Ni composites; Ni3Fe-Al2O3, by Reference 9, which produced nickel-iron-alumina composites from ferrous scrap by a hydrometall
