The effect of production method on properties of Fe–TiC composite

In this work, the properties of in-situ and in-mould produced iron–TiC composites have been investigated. The in-situ method consists of melting and casting the required composite materials, whereas in in-mould method the produced nano-powder TiC crystals via microwave procedure, have been added into the molten matrix with chemical similar to in-situ composite material. XRD method has been used for investigation of the phases. Also, the optical microscope has been used for detailed analysis of microstructures. In addition, wear resistance and hardness testing have been used for determining the materials properties. By comparing these results, it was found that the Fe–TiC composite can be produced using both methods, although the hardness and wear resistance properties are much better in the case of in-mould method in addition to having finer structure with respect to in-situ method.