Effects of tungsten on the microstructure and on the abrasive wear behavior of a high-chromium white iron

In the present study, systematic additions of tungsten (up to 10.3 wt%) and their effects on the microstructure, hardness, microhardness, and abrasive wear of 17%-Cr white iron was analyzed. Six high-chromium iron alloys with different tungsten additions were melted in an open induction furnace and cast into sand molds to obtain 50-mm×25-mm cross-sectional bars. The alloys were characterized by optical and electronic microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The bulk hardness and microhardness of the different phases of the microstructure (matrix and carbides) were measured in the as-cast conditions and after a destabilization heat treatment at 950 °C for 45 min. Abrasive wear resistance tests were undertaken for the different irons according to the ASTM G65 standard in both as-cast and heat-treated conditions. The results show that, when tungsten is added up to 4 wt%, it partitions either to the matrix or to the M7C3 carbide, causing a moderate strengthening in both phases and contributing to an increase in the overall hardness of the alloys. When tungsten additions are higher than 4%, the presence of harder M2C and M6C carbides is prevalent in the microstructure and the bulk hardness of the alloys increased. The wear behavior was found to be consistent with the hardness values; an increase in the wear resistance occurred as the tungsten additions were increased. However, such an increase in the wear resistance is not considerable (just 13% higher for 10.3% tungsten addition to the iron). Tungsten was found not to have an important effect on the secondary carbide precipitation during heat treatment, and the wear behavior had the same trend as that in the as-cast alloys. The results are discussed in terms of the partition of tungsten to the carbide and matrix and on its tendency to form harder M6C-type carbides.