The Effect of Different Tungsten-Containing Materials Addition on the Reinforcements in the Surface Compound Layer with Steel Substrate
The effect of different tungsten-bearing materials addition in a surface preform, such as Ni-base WC particles, ferrotungsten powders and casting WC particles, on the reinforcement phases at the surface compound layer with a carbon steel substrate is investigated under the condition of vacuum expandable pattern casting V-EPC. The microstructures and reinforcement phases are characterized by optical microscopy, SEM and EDS. Experimental results show that it is impossible to synthesize the independent WC particles in each condition. The tungsten-containing materials are all inclined to decompose during steel infiltration and the released tungsten elements tend to combine with carbon to form fish born-like or strip-like WC or W2C carbides and dissolve in other type of carbides and matrix.