Wear behavior and mechanical performance of metal injection molded Fe–2Ni sintered components

The microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear behavior of two key components of a hinge fabricated from a metal injection molding process that was then sintered and heat treated under various conditions were analyzed using an optical microscope, a pin-on-disk tester, an open-closed reciprocal wear tester, and a scanning electron microscope. Optical photomicrograph revealed a serious decarburization in the sintered component, suggesting that an increase in carbon content would be necessary to improve mechanical properties. At the initial stage of the open-closed reciprocal wear test, the obverse inclined planes of both components exhibited plastic deformation and depression. As the number of test cycles increased, an increase in cold welding, metal adhesion, spalling, delamination, and surface fatigue was observed, triggering a decrease in metal thickness, which in turn altered the shape of the components. In this study, the optimal parameters to satisfy commercial application requirements were obtained when the components were carburized at 870 °C for 30 min, quenched in oil, and finally tempered at 250 °C for 1 h.