Understanding effects of Cr content on the slurry erosion behavior of high-Cr cast irons through local property mapping and computational analysis

High-Cr cast irons (HCCIs) have demonstrated excellent performance during various industrial processes involving mining, oil sand slurry handling, and manufacturing. Attempts have been made to extend concentration ranges of carbon and chromium up to a higher level, e.g., 6%C and 35%Cr or higher. However, it is not clear how the Cr content influences properties of carbide, (Fe,Cr)7C3, and the ferrous matrix, and thus the performance of HCCIs during wear processes, e.g., slurry erosion for oil sand transport. In this study, we investigated how the chromium content, in the range of 5-35%Cr, affected the performance of HCCIs with 5%C during erosion tests in slurries at two pH levels and four velocities. In particular, local mechanical properties and electron work function which is a measure of electrochemical stability were analyzed for both carbides and the ferrous matrix in the HCCIs using a micro-indenter and a multi-mode atomic force microscope. First-principles calculation was conducted to understand mechanisms responsible for the observed phenomena.