Surface hardening of Fe-based alloy powders by Nd:YAG laser cladding followed by electrospark deposition with WC-Co cemented carbide

This paper presents the results of a study concerned with the surface hardening of Fe-based alloys and WC-8Co cemented carbide by inte- grating laser cladding and the electrospark deposition processes. Specimens of low carbon steel were processed firstly by laser cladding with Fe-based alloy powders and then by electrospark deposition with WC-SCo cemented carbide. It is shown that, for these two treatments, the electrospark coating possesses finer microstructure than the laser coating, and the thickness and surface hardness of the electrospark coating can be substantially increased.

Effects of C/B4 C ratio on microstructure and property of Fe-based alloy coatings reinforced with in situ synthesized TiB2 -TiC

The Fe-based alloy coatings reinforced with in situ synthesized TiB2-TiC were prepared on Q235 steel by reactive plasma cladding using Fe901 alloy, Ti, B4C, and graphite （C） powders us raw materials. The effects of C/B4C weight percentage ratio （0 - 1. 38 ） on the microstructure , microhardness , and wet sand abrasion resistance of the coatings were investigated. The results show that the coatings consist of （ Fe, Cr ） solid solution, TiC, TiB2, Ti8C5 , and Fe3 C phases. The decrease of C/B4 C ratio is propitious to the formation of TiB2 and Tis C5. Increasing the C/B4 C ratio can help to refine the microstructure of the coatings. However, the microhardness of the middle-upper of the coatings and the wet sand abrasion resistance of the coatings degenerate with the increase of C/B4C ratio. The coating exhibits the best wet sand abrasion resistance at C/BaC =0 and its average mass loss rate per unit wear distance is 0. 001 2%/m. The change of the wet sand abrasion resistance of the coatings with the C/B4C ratio can be mainly attributed to the combined action of the changes of microhardness and the volume percentage of the ceramic reinforcements containing titanium in the coatings.

Study on Fe-based alloy Fe-Cr-Ti-C layers by reactive plasma cladding

Fe-based alloy Fe-Cr-Ti-C composite layers with and without titanium （ other powder ingredients are about the same） were fabricated on Q235 steel by plasma cladding process with high-energy plasma jet as heat source. Microstructure , phase composition and micro-hardness of the layers were investigated by optical microscope （OM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, electron probe microanalysis （ EPMA ） and micro-hardness tester. The results show that the grains of the cladding layers with Ti are much finer than that of the Fe-based cladding layer without Ti. Compared with the cladding layers without Ti, there are more shingle crystals in the cladding layers with Ti and the hard phase （ Cr, Fe ） 7 C3 of the eutectic in the layers increase gradually. However, as increasing titanium content in the alloy powder, the hard phase （Cr, Fe ） 7 C3 in eutectic structure of the cladding layer increases gradually, restraining （ Cr, Fe ）7 C3 carbide precipitation and decreasing the average and maximum hardness of the cladding layer.

FORMATION OF GRADIENT COATING OF Fe-BASED ALLOY WITH RARE EARTHS BY PLASMA SURFACING

A gradient coating of Fe-based alloy was manufactured with rare earths (RE) by plasma surfacing on Q235 steel substrate. The coatings were studied by using X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscope(SEM), differential thermal analyzer(DTA), and electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA). The results show that the phases of the two kinds of coatings(with and without RE) both include α-Fe, Fe7C3, Fe3C, Cr2B, Fe2B and FeB. The microstructure of F314 coating is mainly hypereutectic, the pro-phases Cr7C3 and Cr2B are loose, crassi, spiculate and contain microcracks. The brittleness of the coating is high, and the average hardness is 787 HV. When 0.8wt% RE was added into the F314 alloy, the microstructure varied from hypoeutectic to hypereutectic continuously, The hardness appears as gradient distribution with the highest value of 773 HV, meanwhile, the brittleness decreases significantly. The formation of gradient structure depends on the fallowing factors: (i) the conversion of RE. The addition of RE lowers the elements point and Fe-C eutectic temperature, thus the base metal melting acutely. (ii) the heating of plasma arc. Graded temperature results in directional solidification, thus the gradient structure forms easily. The main reasons for the hardness decrease with RE addition in the alloy are the ratio of hard phase lowering and the hardness of the hard phase decreasing.

Microstructure of Fe-Based Alloy Hardfacing Coating Reinforced by TiC-VC Particles

Mierostrueture of the Fe-based alloy hardfaeing coating reinforced by TiC-VC particles was investigated by means of SEM, TEM, XRD and EPMA. The thermodynamics and effect of elements on the carbides were discussed. The result shows that TiC-VC carbides can be formed during arc welding. Carbides with particle size of 2 ～4μm are uniformly dispersed in the matrix. Evidently the covering components and their amount affect the microstrueture and hardness of the coatings. An excellent microstructure and hardness of hardfacing coating were obtained, while the amount of graphite, FeTi and FeV was controlled within the range of 8%- 10%, 15%- 18% and 8%- 12%, respectively.

Glass forming ability of Zr-and Fe-based alloys at quenching from melts

The master alloy ingots (MAI) with the nominal composition Zr 52.5 Ti 5Cu 17.9 Ni 14.6 Al 10 and Fe 61 Co 7Zr 10 Mo 5W 2B 15 (at%) were prepared by arc melting in Ti gettered Ar atmosphere. The Zr based buttons of 6 mm and 9 mm in diameter were fully amorphous, but those of 13 mm in diameter experienced crystallization. The glass forming ability (GFA) of Fe based alloys was relatively lower, and the buttons obtained were fully crystallized. The microhardness of the Zr based buttons was about 500(Hv), and the Fe based rod obtained by injection technique exhibited a high Vickers hardness of 1329. In addition, an amorphous crystalline transition layers were observed in both the buttons and the rods.

Effect of high magnetic field on phase transformation temperature and microstructure of Fe-based Alloys

The effect of a high magnetic field up to 30T on phase transformation temperature and microstructure of Fe-based alloys has been reviewed. A high magnetic field accelerates ferrite transformation, changes the morphology of the transformed microstructures and increases the A3 and A1 temperature. In a magnetic field of 30T, the A1 temperature increases by about 37.1℃ for Fe-0.8C, the A3 temperature for pure Fe increases by about 33.1℃. The measured transformation temperature data are not consistent with calculation results using Weiss molecular field theory. Ferrite grains are elongated and aligned along the direction of magnetic field in Fe-0.4C and Fe-0.6C alloys by ferrite transformation, but elongated and aligned structure was not found in pure Fe, Fe-0.05C alloy and Fe-1.5Mn-0.11C-0.1V alloy.

Achieving a superior Na storage performance of Fe-based Prussian blue cathode by coating perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride amine

Fe-based Prussian blue(Fe-PB)cathode material shows great application potential in sodium(Na)-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity,long cycle life,low cost,and simple preparation process.However,the crystalline water and vacancies of Fe-PB lattice,the low electrical conductivity,and the dissolution of metal ions lead to limited capacity and poor cycling stability.In this work,a perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride amine(PTCDA)coating layer is successfully fabricated on the surface of Fe-PB by a liquid-phase method.The aminated PTCDA(PTCA)coating not only increases the specific surface area and electronic conductivity but also effectively reduces the crystalline water and vacancies,which avoids the erosion of Fe-PB by electrolyte.Consequently,the PTCA layer reduces the charge transfer resistance,enhances the Na-ion diffusion coefficient,and improves the structure stability.The PTCA-coated Fe-PB exhibits superior Na storage performance with a first discharge capacity of 145.2 mAh g^(−1) at 100 mA g^(−1).Long cycling tests exhibit minimal capacity decay of 0.027%per cycle over 1000 cycles at 1 A g^(−1).Therefore,this PTCA coating strategy has shown promising competence in enhancing the electrochemical performance of Fe-PB,which can potentially serve as a universal electrode coating strategy for Na-ion batteries.

Clean production of Fe-based amorphous soft magnetic alloys via smelting reduction of high-phosphorus iron ore and apatite

Separated preparation of prealloys and amorphous alloys results in severe solidification-remelting and beneficial element removal-readdition contradictions,which markedly increase energy consumption and emissions.This study offered a novel strategy for the direct production of FePC amorphous soft magnetic alloys via smelting reduction of high-phosphorus iron ore(HPIO)and apatite.First,the thermodynamic conditions and equilibrium states of the carbothermal reduction reactions in HPIO were calculated,and the element content in reduced alloys was theoretically determined.The phase and structural evolutions,as well as element migration and enrichment behaviors during the smelting reduction of HPIO and Ca_(3)(PO_(4))_(2),were then experimentally verified.The addition of Ca_(3)(PO_(4))_(2)in HPIO contributes to the enrichment of the P element in reduced alloys and the subsequent development of Fe_(3)P and Fe_(2)P phases.The content of P and C elements in the range of 1.52 wt% -14.63 wt% and 0.62 wt% -2.47 wt%,respectively,can be well tailored by adding 0-50 g Ca_(3)(PO_(4))_(2)and controlling the C/O mole ratio of 0.8-1.1,which is highly consistent with the calculated results.These FePC alloys were then successfully formed into amorphous ribbons and rods.The energy consumption of the proposed strategy was estimated to be 2.00×10^(8) kJ/t,which is reduced by 30% when compared with the conventional production process.These results are critical for the comprehensive utilization of mineral resources and pave the way for the clean production of Fe-based amorphous soft magnetic alloys.

The roles of microstructural anisotropy in tribo-corrosion performance of one certain laser cladding Fe-based alloy

Because of the microstructural anisotropy for laser cladding materials,the tribo-corrosion performance can vary significantly with different directions.In this study,one certain Fe-based coating was fabricated by laser cladding.To study the effects of anisotropy,three working surfaces(0°,45°,and 90°to the building direction)were machined from the laser cladding samples;as-cast samples with an approximately homogeneous structure were prepared as controls.The tribo-corrosion tests were conducted in a 3.5 wt%NaCl solution with varying normal loads(5,10,and 15 N).The results demonstrated that the 45°surface has superior friction stability,corrosion resistance,and wear resistance.This was directly related to the crystal orientation and grain boundary density.In addition,a refined microstructure may enhance tribo-corrosion properties by increasing deformation resistance and decreasing surface activity.

Formation and mechanical properties of ductile Fe-based amorphous alloys using a cast iron with minor addition of B and Al

Fe-based amorphous alloys with ductility were synthesized using the commercial cast iron QT50 (denoted as QT) with the combining minor addition of B and Al by single roller melt-spinning. The melt-spun (QT1-xBx)99Al1 (x is from 0.006wt% to 0.01wt%) amorphous alloys exhibit onset crystallization temperatures and Curie temperatures of 759-780 and 629-642 K respectively, and whi- ch increase with B content. The amorphous ribbons are ductile and can be bent 180° without breaking. With the increase in B content from 0.006wt% to 0.01wt%, the Vickers microhardness of the amorphous alloys increases from Hv 830 to Hv 1110. The effects of the additional B and Al elements on the glass forming ability and mechanical properties were also discussed.

Laser Surface Remelting of Fe-based Alloy Coating Deposited by APS

The Fe-based amorphous alloy coatings with different porosities were deposited on Q235 steel substrates by means of atmospheric plasma spraying(APS).The as-sprayed coatings were remelted by the facility of a Nd:YAG laser to further enhance their compactness and bonding strength via orthogonal experiment design.The effects of laser remelting on the microstructure,phase compositions and mechanical properties of the as-sprayed coatings were investigated by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscope,X-ray diffraction and Vickers microhardness tester.The corrosion performance of the coatings was evaluated by both potential dynamic measurements(PDM)and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)in a 10%NaOH solution.The results indicate that laser power of 700 W,scanning velocity of 4 mm/s,beam size of 3 mm and porosity of 1.19%are the optimized remelting process parameters.The laser-remelted coatings exhibite more homogenous structure as strong metallurgical bonding to substrates.The amorphous phases in the as-sprayed coatings crystallize toα-Fe,Fe2Si,Fe3.5B,and Fe2W phases for the high temperature and rapid solidification in the remelting process.The microhardness values of as-sprayed are in the range of 700-800 HV0.1,while the microhardness values of the remelted coatings are enhanced slightly to 750-850 HV0.1.Both PDM and EIS analysis results show that the remelted coatings exhibite relatively excellent corrosion resistance compared with the stainless steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti,however the corrosion resistance of the remelted coatings is inferior to the as-sprayed amorphous coatings.

Behavior of Medium-frequency Core Loss in Fe-based Nanocrystalline Soft Magnetic Alloys

The dependences of the power loss per cycle on frequency have been investigated in the ranges of 100 Hz<= f<=25000 Hz and 0.1 T< =Bm <=1.0 T for three main original magnetic states in five sorts of Fe-based nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloys. The measured and calculated results showed that the total power loss per cycle clearly exhibited a nonlinear behavior in the range below 3 kHz～5 kHz depending on both the magnetic state and the value of Dm, whereas it showed a quasi-linear behavior above this range. The total loss was decomposed into hysteresis loss, classical eddy current loss and excess loss, the obvious nonlinear behavior has been confirmed to be completely determined by the dependence of the excess loss on frequency. It has been indicated that the change rate of the excess loss per cycle with respect to frequency sharp decreases with increasing frequency in the range below about 3 kHz～5 kHz, wherease the rate of change slowly varies above this range, thus leading to the quasilinear behavior of the total loss per cycle. In this paper, some linear expressions of the total loss per cycle has been given in a wider medium-frequency segment, which can be used for roughly estimating the total loss.

General Properties of Low-frequency Power Losses in Fe-based Nanocrystalline Soft Magnetic Alloys

The dependences of the power loss per cycle on frequency f and amplitude flux density Bm have been investigated for the three main original magnetic states in five sorts of Fe-based nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloys in the ranges of 10 Hz<=f<=1000 Hz and 0.4 T<= Bm <=1.0 T. The total loss P is decomposed into the sum of the hysteresis loss Physt, the classical eddy current loss Pel and the excess loss Pexc. Physt has been found to be proportional to Bm^2 and f. The behavior of Pexc/f vs f being equivalent to P/f vs f clearly exhibits nonlinearity in the range not more than about 120 Hz, whereas the behavior of P/f vs f roughly shows linearity in the range far above 100 Hz and not more than 1000 Hz. In the range up to 1000 Hz, Physt is dominant in the original high permeability state and the state of low residual flux density, whereas Pexc in the state of high residual flux density is dominant in the wider range above about 100 Hz. The framework of the statistical theory of power loss has been used for representing the behavior of Pexc/f vs f. It has been found that the number n of the simultaneously active 'Magnetic Objects' linearly varies as n = n0 + Hexc/H0 as a function of the dynamic field Hexc in the range below about 120 Hz, whereas n approximately follows a law of the form n = n0 + (Hexc/H0)^m with 1 < m < 2 in the range far above 100 Hz and not more than 1000 Hz. The values of the field HO in principle related to the microstructure and the domain structure have been calculated for the three states.

Effect of Mo on properties of the industrial Fe–B-alloy-derived Fe-based bulk metallic glasses

The experimental results concerning the effects of Mo on the glass-forming ability(GFA), thermal stability, and mechanical, anticorrosion, and magnetic properties of an(Fe_(71.2)B_(24)Y_(4.8))_(96)Nb_4 bulk metallic glass(BMG) were presented. An industrial Fe–B alloy was used as the raw material, and a series of Fe-based BMGs were synthesized. In BMGs with the Mo contents of approximately 1at%–2at%, the cast alloy reached a critical diameter of 6 mm. The hardness and fracture strength also reached their maximum values in this alloy system. However, the anticorrosion and magnetic properties of the BMGs were not substantially improved by the addition of Mo. The low cost, good GFA, high hardness, and high fracture strength of the Fe-based BMGs developed in this work suggest that they are potential candidates for commercial applications.

Fe-based amorphous coating prepared using high-velocity oxygen fuel and its corrosion behavior in static lead-bismuth eutectic alloy

The Fe_(949.7)Cr_(18)Mn_(1.9)Mo_(7.4)W_(1.6)B_(15.2)C_(3.8)Si_(2) amorphous coating was deposited on T91 steel substrate by using the high-velocity oxygen fuel(HVOF)spray technique to enhance the corrosion resistance of T91 stainless steel in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic(LBE).The corrosion behavior of the T91 steel and coating exposed to oxygen-saturated LBE at 400℃ for 500 h was investigated.Results showed that the T91 substrate was severely corroded and covered by a homogeneously distributed dual-layer oxide on the interface contacted to LBE,consisting of an outer magnetite layer and an inner Fe-Cr spinel layer.Meanwhile,the amorphous coating with a high glass transition temperature(Tg=550℃)and crystallization temperature(T_(x)=600℃)exhibited dramatically enhanced thermal stability and corrosion resistance.No visible LBE penetration was observed,although small amounts of Fe_(3)O_(4),Cr_(2)O_(3),and PbO were found on the coating surface.In addition,the amorphicity and interface bonding of the coating layer remained unchanged after the LBE corrosion.The Fe-based amorphous coating can act as a stable barrier layer in liquid LBE and have great application potential for long-term service in LBE-cooled fast reactors.

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of nano-crystallization of Fe-based amorphous alloys with early transition metals

The addition of early transition metals（ETMs） into Fe-based amorphous alloys is practically found to be effective in reducing the α-Fe grain size in crystallization process. In this paper, by using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, the mechanism of the effect of two typical ETMs（Nb and W） on nano-crystallization is studied. It is found that the diffusion ability in amorphous alloy is mainly determined by the bonding energy of the atom rather than the size or weight of the atom. The alloying of B dramatically reduces the diffusion ability of the ETM atoms, which prevents the supply of Fe near the grain surface and consequently suppresses the growth of α-Fe grains. Moreover, the difference in grain refining effectiveness between Nb and W could be attributed to the larger bonding energy between Nb and B than that between W and B.

Ferromagnetic Fe-based Amorphous Alloy with High Glass-forming Ability

A ferromagnetic amorphous Fe73Al4Ge2Nb1 P10C6B4 alloy with high glass-forming ability was synthesized by melt spinning. The supercooled liquid region before crystallization reaches about 65.7 K. The crystallized structure consists of a-Fe, Fe3B, FeB, Fe3P and Fe3C phases. The Febased amorphous alloy exhibits good magnetic properties With a high saturation magnetization and a low saturated magnetostriction. The crystallization leads to an obvious decrease in the soft magnetic properties.

Effect of the Partial Substitution of V for Nb on the Magnetic Properties of Fe-based Nanocrystalline Alloy

The variation of the magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline alloys for the partial substitution of V for Nb with crystallizing treatment temperature and time was investigated. The variation law of the magnetic properties with the annealing temperature and time is essentially the same. The magnetic properties of the Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys for the partial substitution of V for Nb reduce, and the crystallizing treatment temperature of the alloys increases. The optimum properties of Fe74Cu1Nb3Si13B9 nanocrystalline alloys crystallized at 550℃x60 min are μ0=9.2xl0^4, μm=54.8xl0^4, Hc=1.14 A/m and Bs=1.26 T. The best properties for Fe74Cu1Nb3Si13B9 alloys annealed at 560℃x60 min are μ0=8.79x10^4, μm=50.18xl0^4, Hc=1.26 A/m and Bs=1.24 T.

Effect of hafnium and molybdenum addition on inclusion characteristics in Co-based dual-phase high-entropy alloys

Specific grades of high-entropy alloys(HEAs)can provide opportunities for optimizing properties toward high-temperature applications.In this work,the Co-based HEA with a chemical composition of Co_(47.5)Cr_(30)Fe_(7.5)Mn_(7.5)Ni_(7.5)(at%)was chosen.The refractory metallic elements hafnium(Hf)and molybdenum(Mo)were added in small amounts(1.5at%)because of their well-known positive effects on high-temperature properties.Inclusion characteristics were comprehensively explored by using a two-dimensional cross-sectional method and extracted by using a three-dimensional electrolytic extraction method.The results revealed that the addition of Hf can reduce Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions and lead to the formation of more stable Hf-rich inclusions as the main phase.Mo addition cannot influence the inclusion type but could influence the inclusion characteristics by affecting the physical parameters of the HEA melt.The calculated coagulation coefficient and collision rate of Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions were higher than those of HfO_(2)inclusions,but the inclusion amount played a larger role in the agglomeration behavior of HfO_(2)and Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions.The impurity level and active elements in HEAs were the crucial factors affecting inclusion formation.