Effect of Titanium Addition on Cracks of Fe-Cr-C Coating by Reactive Plasma Cladding

Fe-Cr-C and Fe-Cr-C-Ti coatings were prepared by reactive plasma cladding in this paper. The crack morphology and fracture surface of the Fe-Cr-C coating were observed by SEM. The effect of titanium addition on the crack of Fe-Cr-C coating was analyzed. The results show that the coating cracks mainly consist of crack perpendicular to the fusion line, defect-induced crack and intergranular crack. The crack rate of Fe-Cr-C-Ti coating was obviously decreased after Titanium was added. When the titanium content is below 8 wt.%, with the increase of titanium content, the crack rate of Fe-Cr-C-Ti coating decreases obviously. When titanium content is between 8wt.% and 13wt.%, there are no cracks in the Fe-Cr-C-Ti coating. When the titanium content exceeds 13 wt.%, with the increase of titanium content, a small number of cracks begin to appear. The addition of titanium increases the toughness of the Fe-Cr-C-Ti coating and reduces the stress concentration.

Influence of Grain Size Distribution on Ductile Intergranular Crack Growth Resistance

The influence of grain size distribution on ductile intergranular crack growth resistance is investigated using full-field microstructure-based finite element calculations and a simpler model based on discrete unit events and graph search. The finite element calculations are carried out for a plane strain slice with planar grains subjected to mode I small-scale yielding conditions. The finite element formulation accounts for finite deformations, and the constitutive relation models the loss of stress carrying capacity due to progressive void nucleation, growth, and coalescence. The discrete unit events are characterized by a set of finite element calculations for crack growth at a single-grain boundary junction. A directed graph of the connectivity of grain boundary junctions and the distances between them is used to create a directed graph in J-resistance space. For a specified grain boundary distribution, this enables crack growth resistance curves to be calculated for all possible crack paths. Crack growth resistance curves are calculated based on various path choice criteria and compared with the results of full-field finite element calculations of the initial boundary value problem. The effect of unimodal and bimodal grain size distributions on intergranular crack growth is considered. It is found that a significant increase in crack growth resistance is obtained if the difference in grain sizes in the bimodal grain size distribution is sufficiently large.

Influence of Grain Size Distribution on Ductile Intergranular Crack Growth Resistance

The influence of grain size distribution on ductile intergranular crack growth resistance is investigated using full-field microstructure-based finite element calculations and a simpler model based on discrete unit events and graph search. The finite element calculations are carried out for a plane strain slice with planar grains subjected to mode I small-scale yielding conditions. The finite element formulation accounts for finite deformations, and the constitutive relation models the loss of stress carrying capacity due to progressive void nucleation, growth, and coalescence. The discrete unit events are characterized by a set of finite element calculations for crack growth at a single-grain boundary junction. A directed graph of the connectivity of grain boundary junctions and the distances between them is used to create a directed graph in J-resistance space. For a specified grain boundary distribution, this enables crack growth resistance curves to be calculated for all possible crack paths. Crack growth resistance curves are calculated based on various path choice criteria and compared with the results of full-field finite element calculations of the initial boundary value problem. The effect of unimodal and bimodal grain size distributions on intergranular crack growth is considered. It is found that a significant increase in crack growth resistance is obtained if the difference in grain sizes in the bimodal grain size distribution is sufficiently large.

Combined Application of Composite Powders WC-Co and Additives of Nanoparticles as an Effective Method of Improving the Properties of Hard Metals

The results of experimental studies show that the use of composite powders (WC-Co) in combination with the modification by the additives of ceramic nanoparticles allows controlling the parameters of the microstructure and increasing the strength of the binder and the level of physical and mechanical properties of the hard metal in general. The coating of carbide particles with a layer of a binder is an effective starting method that allows to obtain a bulk compound that preserves the unique properties of the initial nanopowders and ensures a uniform distribution of the phases (WC, Co, Al2O3). Such multiphase fragmentary nanostructured composite is characterized by additional heterogeneity, determined by the differences in size and elastic properties of the phases. By combining the sizes and properties of the phase components in such heterogeneous composite, it is possible to increase the fracture energy (i.e. Palmqvist fracture toughness) up to 20 - 22 MPa∙m1/2 as a result of inhibition on inclusions of nanoparticles the stress relaxation and change in the trajectory of the intergranular crack. Based on the proposed stereological models and experimentally established relationships between composition and microstructure parameters, the required volume concentrations of nanoparticles’ additives and composite powders (WC-Co) were determined.