Microstructural and mechanical characterization of in situ TiC and (Ti,W)C-reinforced high manganese austenitic steel matrix composites

The TiC and (Ti,W)C-reinforced high manganese austenitic steel matrix in situ composites have been produced by means of conventional melting and casting route. The microstructures have been characterized by the techniques of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The density measurement has been conducted by the Archimedes' method. The abrasion wear resistance and mechanical properties such as hardness and impact energy of the composites and high manganese austenitic steel have been evaluated. The density and impact energy of (Ti,W)C-reinforced composite are more than that of TiC-reinforced composite. The (Ti,W)C-reinforced composite also exhibits the best abrasive wear resistance of all the materials tested. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.