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Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

High chromium cast irons: destabilized-subcritical


secondary carbide precipitation and its effect on hardness
and wear properties.

Journal: Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance


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Manuscript ID JMEP-17-06-13364.R3

Manuscript Type: Technical Paper


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Date Submitted by the Author: 13-Feb-2018

Complete List of Authors: Guitar, Maria; Saarland University, Chair of Functional Materials
Suarez, Sebastian; Saarland University, Chair of Functional Materials
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Prat, Orlando; Universidad de Concepcion


Duarte Guigou, Martin; Univesidad católica del Uruguay, Facultad de
Ingeniería y Tecnologías; Tubacero S.A
Gari, Valentina; Universidad Catolica Uruguay
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Pereira, Gastón ; Tubacero S.A


Mucklich, Frank; Universitat des Saarlandes,

Cast Iron, Heat Treatment, Microscopy, Electron, Microscopy, Optical


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Keywords:
Metallography
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Page 1 of 31 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

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3 High chromium cast irons: destabilized-subcritical secondary
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6 carbide precipitation and its effect on hardness and wear
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9 properties.
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14 María Agustina Guitar1,a, Sebastián Suárez1, Orlando Prat2, Martín Duarte Guigou3,4,
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Valentina Gari3, Gastón Pereira4, Frank Mücklich1
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Department of Materials Science, Saarland University. Campus D3.3, D-66123,
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Saarbrücken, Germany.
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26 Departamento de Ingeniería de Materiales, Universidad de Concepción, Edmundo
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28 Larenas 270, Concepción, Chile
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30 Programa de Ingeniería de Materiales, Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnologías,
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32 Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Av. 8 de Octubre 2738 - CP 11600, Montevideo,
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34 Uruguay.
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Laboratorio de Desarrollo de Nuevos Materiales, Tubacero S.A., Cnel. Raíz 949 -
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39 CP12900, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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41 Contact email: a.guitar@mx.uni-saarland.de
42 (Submitted June 26, 2017; in revised form February 13, 2018)
43 Materials Characterization
44 JMEP-17-06-13364
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Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Page 2 of 31

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3 ABSTRACT
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5 This work evaluates the effect of a destabilization treatment combined with a sub-
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critical diffusion (SCD) and a subsequent quenching (Q) steps on precipitation of
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10 secondary carbides and their influence on the wear properties of HCCI (16%Cr). The
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12 destabilization of the austenite at high temperature leads to a final microstructure
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14 composed by eutectic and secondary carbides, with an M7C3 nature, embedded in a
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16 martensitic matrix. An improved wear resistance was observed in the SCD+Q samples
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18 in comparison to the Q one, which was attributed to the size of secondary carbides.
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24 Keywords: High chromium white cast iron – Solid state transformation – secondary
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carbides precipitation – Wear - microstructure


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Page 3 of 31 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

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3 Introduction
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5 High Chromium Cast Irons (HCCI) have been a material of choice for wear resistant
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components in the mining and mineral processing industries for a long time, given their
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10 outstanding wear and erosion resistance [1]. The main reason for such resistance can be
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12 found in the hard MnCm reinforcement carbides embedded within the metallic matrix,
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14 being those of hypoeutectic, eutectic or hypereutectic origin [2,3]. Hypoeutectic
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16 compositions are the main group of materials in use in the industry, with compositions
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18 described in the ASTM standard A532 groups II and III [4]. Although hypereutectic
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HCCI would show a higher carbide volume fraction than hypoeutectic HCCI and it
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23 could be considered as a much more efficient wear resistant material; however, their
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25 low castability severely hinder their practical manufacture and use [5].
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28 The microstructure and mechanical properties of HCCI are a direct consequence of the
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30 eutectic carbide content, matrix microstructure and the presence of secondary carbides
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32 embedded within the metallic matrix [6]. Particularly, the presence of secondary
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34 carbides has shown to improve the wear resistance behavior of the entire composite [2].
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Secondary and also eutectic carbides characteristics are strongly influenced by the
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content of its main constituents (C ,Cr) [2,3,7], minor alloying elements (Mo, Ti, V, Nb,
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41 W) [8–12] and thermal processing [5,13].
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44 The wear resistance and mechanical properties, especially the hardness, of HCCI
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46 depend on the type, morphology and distribution of carbides, and on the nature of the
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48 supporting matrix structure which, in turn, depends on the chemical composition and on
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50 any subsequent thermal treatments [14–16]. The secondary carbides, may increase the
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52 wear resistance of the matrix itself, providing load support and reducing damage by
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third bodies scratching the surface, by the same mechanisms that has been studied
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Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Page 4 of 31

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3 carefully with more conventional, low reinforcement volume fraction, composite
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5 materials [17,18]. To some extent, the precipitation of secondary carbides should lead to
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7 a more bimodal–like reinforced composite behavior, which has been proved previously
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9 to have a better wear performance than its mono modal counterparts [19,20].
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12 Besides, the secondary carbides which precipitate in the matrix regions also influence
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wear resistance by increasing the matrix strength through dispersion strengthening and
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microstructure refinement, the fine secondary carbides can increase the mechanical
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19 support of the eutectic carbides. [10,11,21].
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22 Precipitation of secondary carbides during a sub-critical destabilization treatment [22]
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24 has been previously described for HCCI and the usual quenching procedure, i.e. holding
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26 temperatures above the critical line (from 0.5 to 4 hours) before cooling in air. In most
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28 cases the authors compared the latter to a series of sub-critical approaches as references
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30 [11,23,24]. Heat treatments are designed to precipitate a fine dispersion of Fe-Cr


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carbides within the matrix. Multi-step treatments have been proposed (martensite
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35 formation and post-quench sub-critical annealing for carbide precipitation), with a
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37 significant secondary carbide precipitation, although the intermediate air cooling


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39 induced a sharp decrease in mechanical properties. The decrease in mechanical
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41 properties was associated with the formation of ferrite phases in the sub-critical step; in
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43 general sub-critical treatments have been associated with hardness reduction [25].
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Furthermore, the type, size and distribution of secondary carbides formed during the
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48 destabilization depend on the composition and destabilization temperature. The
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50 secondary carbides are efficient for improving the abrasion resistance [26,27].
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53 The proposed destabilized plus sub-critical diffusion treatment should lead to a sharper
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55 increase in size and a better distribution of secondary carbides within the matrix,
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Page 5 of 31 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

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3 without affecting other mechanical properties. Assuming that this material behaves
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5 tribologically as a bimodal size reinforced MMC, the post treatment wear resistance
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7 should improve, despite the slight changes in other mechanical properties [23,28].
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10 In this work, contrary to other works found in the literature [25], a destabilization
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12 process is carried out followed directly by a sub-critical diffusion (SCD) step in order to
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precipitate and grow secondary carbides. The main objectives of the present work are:
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(a) to analyze if increased secondary carbide precipitation is achievable with a high
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19 temperature destabilization and multi-step sub-critical heat treatment, using limited
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21 minor alloying elements and preserving mechanical properties; (b) to compare such
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results with a standard above critical destabilization treatment and (c) to analyze the
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25 effect of such increased carbide precipitation on wear resistance.
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Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Page 6 of 31

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3 Experimental
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5 HCCI samples were manufactured in arc furnace and casted in cubic sand molds.
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Chemical composition was determined by Emission Spectroscopy methods using a
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10 GNR Metal Lab 75/80 Optical Emission Spectroscope. The chemical composition of
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12 the studied HCCI is: C (2.43 wt.%) - Si (0.47 wt.%) – Mn (0.76 wt.%) – Cr (15.84
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14 wt.%) - Ni (0.41 wt.%) – S (0.02 wt.%) – P (0.02 wt.%) – Cu (0.04 wt.%) – Fe
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16 (balance).
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19 The thermal treatments were carried out by two methods: (i) destabilization above
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21 critical temperature (1253 K) and quenching and (ii) destabilization followed by a sub-
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critical diffusion (SCD) process at 923 K for 12 h. Destabilization temperature was


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26 determined as critical temperatures plus 50 K and SCD temperature was set at 50 K
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28 below zero-transformation-temperature for the corresponding chemical composition for
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30 maximum carbide precipitation. Thus, observations were carried out in four samples:
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32 (1) as cast conditions, (2) SCD, (3) Quenched (Q) and (4) SCD + Q; being the SCD
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34 sample an intermediate state. Schematic representation for each treatment is shown in
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Figure 1.
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39 The samples were ground with embedded diamond discs (up to grit 1200) and polished
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using diamond powder suspensions up to 1 µm mean diameter. The samples were
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44 etched with Villela´s reagent (1 g picric acid + 5 ml HCl 100 ml ethanol) for 30 seconds
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46 at room temperature. Optical microscopy observations were carried out in all samples
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48 using a Leica CTR6000 microscope and images were acquired using a Jenoptik CCD
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50 Camera.
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53 SEM characterization was carried out with a FE-SEM Helios Nanolab 600 (FEI
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55 company) working with an acceleration voltage of 10 kV and a 1.4 nA beam current.
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Page 7 of 31 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

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3 For a proper contrast between phases, a high sensitivity solid state backscattered
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5 electrons detector (vCD) was used. Electron Backscattered Diffraction with an
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7 acceleration voltage of 20 kV and 11 nA beam current together with the TSL OIM Data
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9 Collection software were used for the carbide type identification.
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12 Macro-hardness on the Rockwell C scale was measured using a Wilson durometer with
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a diamond indenter and 150 Kgf load. Micro hardness was measured with a Leica
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Vickers microindenter applying 0.500 Kgf load on all samples for both, matrix and
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19 primary carbides. The indentation time in all cases was 15 s.
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22 X-ray diffraction testing was performed with a PANalyical Empyrean X-ray
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24 diffractometer. The diffractograms were obtained using a symmetrical θ―θ geometry


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26 configuration and a Cu Kα1 radiation (λ = 0.15406 nm). The incident and diffracted
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28 optical geometries were parallel and the diffraction angle (2θ) was varied from 25° to
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31 100° with a step size of 0.013° and a 50 s/step rate. The applied voltage and current
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were 40 kV and 40 mA, respectively. For the phase identification and indexing, the
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35 High Score Plus software and ICDD Database were used.
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38 Wear test was carried out in a CSM macro tribometer in rotational mode using an
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40 alumina pin, applying a 5N load for 4000 laps with 2.46mm radius at a speed of 5.0
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42 cm/s with environment conditions set at 298 K (25 °C) and 45% humidity. Wear tracks
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44 were observed using a Zygo NewView 7300 white light interferometer (for wear
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volume calculations) and SEM microscopy.
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Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Page 8 of 31

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3 Results and Discussion
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5 Phase and microstructural evolution
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8 Figure 2 shows the XRD measurements for the different states of the treated samples.
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10 The as-cast condition is represented by the eutectic carbide embedded in an austenitic
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12 matrix (M7C3/Fe-γ), as described in [25] and also predicted in the Jackson´s diagram for
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the Fe-Cr-C system [29]. Some authors also reported the presence of martensite
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17 surrounding the eutectic carbide particles as a result of the excessive consumption of C
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19 and Cr by the eutectic carbides [25]. Consequently, the matrix remain depleted in these
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21 elements, resulting in the increase of the Ms temperature and promoting the martensite
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formation.
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26 The SCD treatment lead to the transformation of the matrix from austenite to ferrite and
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28 carbides of the form M7C3 were detected. XRD measurements confirms the absence of
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30 martensite in this sample, whose presence is not expected since the sample was cooled
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in air after the sub-critical diffusion treatment. On other way, the quenching of the
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35 material (Q sample) generates a complete martensitic transformation of the matrix. Very
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37 small peaks corresponding to M7C3 are also observed. The SCD+Q sample showed, just
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39 like the Q sample, a matrix formed by martensite and carbides of the form M7C3. In the
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41 inset of Figure 2, the most intense peaks from ferrite and martensite are shown. A shift
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43 in the diffraction angle and an increasing width of the peak, as a consequence of the
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lattice distortion, allow the identification of martensite form ferrite.
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In order to corroborate the obtained phases in the Q and SCD+Q samples,
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51 thermodynamic calculations with the Thermo-Calc software and EBSD measurements
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53 were performed, see Figure 3. The simulation was performed using all the elements of
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55 the studied alloy (as shown in Table 1), and using the TCFe8 database. Figure 3a shows
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Page 9 of 31 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

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3 the fraction of the stable phases in the system at different temperatures. From the
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5 thermodynamic point of view, it is possible to state that the only stable precipitate
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7 within the performed heat treatment temperature range in the alloy is of the type M7C3,
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9 validating the results obtained by XRD. Moreover, EBSD was used for the
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characterization of individual secondary carbides (about 40 secondary carbides were
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14 randomly measured). In all cases an hexagonal crystallographic structure was detected,
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16 which corresponds to the M7C3 carbides (Figure 3b). The precipitation of M23C6-type
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18 carbides might only be possible at temperatures under 738 K (465°C), whereas
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22 Furthermore, it is well known that carbide-forming elements replace the less stable
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cementite, which dissolves into a finer alloy carbide dispersion [21]. This replacement
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31 carbide dispersion will depend on the refinement of the precipitates and their volume
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Figure 4 shows the microstructure for the as cast, SCD, Q and SCD+Q samples. The as
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38 cast microstructure is composed by primary austenite matrix surrounded by the eutectic
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40 mixture of M7C3 carbides/austenite, as also indicated in the diffractogram of Figure 2.
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Given the Cr and C content, no secondary carbides are expected to be observed in this
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45 sample. This microstructure is the starting point for the subsequent heat treatments
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47 previously described in Figure 1. SCD process produces a microstructure of ferrite and
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49 secondary carbides. The etching employed here (Villela´s reagent) attacks the ferrite-
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51 carbide microstructure, therefore the optical image in Figure 4b shows dark regions
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53 corresponding to this type of microstructure, which is result of the high-concentration of
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small secondary carbides. The Q and SCD+Q microstructures (Figure 4c and Figure 4d)
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Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Page 10 of 31

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3 show a fine martensitic matrix surrounding the unchanged eutectic carbide phase when
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5 compared with as cast conditions. Small secondary carbides are expected to be present
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7 in these samples, however, they cannot be resolved with optical microscopy techniques.
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9 Black and white arrows in Figure 4 indicate the regions of eutectic and secondary
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carbides, respectively. For better resolution and details of presence and distribution of
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14 secondary carbides, SEM images were acquired (Figure 5).
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SEM images in BSE mode for all the samples taken at different scales are shown in
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19 Figure 5. As previously described, no secondary carbides are observed in the austenitic
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21 matrix of the as-cast condition. The destabilization treatment above the critical
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temperature 1253 K (980 °C) allow the precipitation of secondary carbides, as shown in
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matrix, whereas in the Q and SCD+Q samples in a martensitic matrix. In all cases the
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32 secondary carbides have apparently randomly nucleated and they show a round-like
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34 morphology.
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37 The addition of a sub-critical diffusion (SCD) process following the destabilization step
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39 caused visible modifications compared to the as-cast material and also to quenched
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41 material. Large quantities of secondary carbides were precipitated within the austenitic
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43 matrix, which has transformed completely to ferrite by holding the temperature at 923 K
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(650 °C) (see Figure 2). Secondary carbides of different sizes can be observed
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48 embedded in the matrix. The prolonged duration of the SCD process allows the
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Page 11 of 31 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

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3 The Q and SCD+Q samples do not show a noticeable change in the amount of
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5 secondary carbides. However, the SCD+Q sample (Figure 5d) shows an apparent
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7 increase in size of secondary carbides inside the martensitic matrix (compared to the Q
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9 sample). The secondary carbides size was determined after image analysis (I-A) of SEM
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(BSE) micrographs using the software A4i©. The calculated average carbide size was
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14 0.44 µm and 0.51 µm for the Q and SCD+Q samples, respectively. The combination of
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18 throughout the matrix, as indicated in the carbide size distribution of Figure 5 and also
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increase in size, mainly due to an extended time of energy input to the system.
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Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Page 12 of 31

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3 Hardness and wear response evaluation
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6 It is well known that the microstructure plays a fundamental role in the resulting
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10 hardness of HCCI depend on the type, morphology and distribution of carbides, and on
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12 the nature of the supporting matrix structure which, in turn, depends on the chemical
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composition and subsequent thermal treatments [14–16]. For this reason, the influence
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of the microstructure after thermal treatments in the wear response are being analyzed in
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22 The mechanical properties play a fundamental role in the applicability of these materials
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24 in the field. They would determine their machinability and subsequently, define the
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28 variations of local mechanical properties which may significantly influence the abrasion
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30 behavior of the material [30]. The macro and microhardness values of three different
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stages are represented in Figure 7a and Figure 7b, respectively. The expected change in
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35 macro-hardness due to the austenitic (as-cast sample) to martensitic (Q and SCD+Q
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37 samples) matrix change is clearly noticeable (Figure 7a). However, the presence of
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39 secondary carbides might not be dismissed as an influencing factor for this
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41 improvement. However, when comparing the results for the Q and SCD+Q samples, no
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43 significant changes are observed, since both present the same type of matrix. Thus, it is
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consequential to state that the main role regarding the mechanical properties is played
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48 by the matrix transformation. Micro-hardness measurements where performed on both,
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50 the matrix and the eutectic carbides. The same trend as in the macro-hardness
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52 measurements was observed when only the matrix is evaluated, as shown in Figure 7b.
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Page 13 of 31 Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

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3 However, when the eutectic carbides zone is evaluated, both the carbides’ intrinsic
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5 mechanical response and the surrounding matrix behavior are considered as a whole
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7 system due to the indentation size effects (Figure 7c). The same increase in micro-
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9 hardness is observable in the eutectic carbide areas of the SCD+Q respect to the Q
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sample. Those similar hardness values in Q and SCD+Q is mainly due to the
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14 precipitation of the same type of secondary carbides.
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When comparing the micro-hardness of the eutectic carbide-containing regions of both
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19 heat treated samples to the as cast condition, the difference can be attributed to the
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21 increase in the supporting role of the matrix surrounding the eutectic carbides. It is
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worth noting that in all cases, an incoherent interface between the M7C3 phase and the
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25 matrix is expected, since the interatomic distances show a misfit larger than 25% [21].
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effective hindering of dislocation mobility. Additionally, it has been reported that the
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32 quenching step adds a thermal strain to the matrix, which results in a dislocation
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34 punching during plastic strain and accounts for a significant strengthening [31].
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37 Regarding the tribological behavior of the materials, the wear rates after pin on disc
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39 tests are shown in Figure 8. A significant reduction in wear rate of the Q and SCD+Q
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41 samples is observed when compared to the as-cast condition, being 45 and 83%,
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43 respectively. These results correlate quite well with the hypothesis that harder materials
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tend to show lower wear rates, given by the conventional Archard behavior/relationship
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48 [32]. However, both heat treated samples show a strongly differentiated wear behavior.
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Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Page 14 of 31

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3 This enhanced wear resistance of the SCD+Q sample cannot be explained by the macro-
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5 and micro-hardness values. It has already been reported that the wear behavior shows a
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7 weak dependency on the macrostructure [26]. Thus, for the wear response of these type
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9 of materials (which should be considered as composite materials), not only the carbide
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structure or distribution should be considered, but also the nature of the matrix
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14 surrounding the carbides and their interaction as a whole must be taken into account.
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16 This synergistic effect is well-known in multimodal systems [19]. An important role in
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18 the improvement in wear response of Q and SCD+Q samples is played, as already
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20 shown for the hardness, by the austenite/martensite transformation of the matrix added
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cases where a full martensitic transformation is not achieved, the amount of retained
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27 austenite might enhance the response by acting in two ways: inactivating the crack tip
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29 formation and hindering the crack development coming from more brittle phases [27].
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32 During the wear test, oxidation occurs predominantly on the matrix parts of the track
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34 (Figure 9), whereas carbides are usually very slightly affected [33]. This oxidation leads
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to a continuous generation of hard and brittle wear particles that are consistently
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38 introduced to the sliding contact, thus inducing an oxide-driven transition from a mild to
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40 a severe third-body wear activity. Additionally, it has been reported for related systems
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that the wear rate decreases either with increasing carbide volume fraction (CVF) or
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45 with the increasing in carbide size for the same CVF [26]. In both heat treated samples,
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47 the total CVF is expected to be the same, since they present the same chemical
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49 composition. Yet, some difference was observed in the size distribution of the
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51 secondary carbides of both samples (as observed in Figure 6), being larger in the
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53 SCD+Q sample. Hence, these larger carbides provide an effective protection to the
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matrix (more wear-prone) from the abrasion. Additionally, it has been observed a higher
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3 crack density in carbides with the larger axis parallel to the wear surface [26], indicating
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5 a strong capacity of the carbides to absorb energy during friction. Then, it would be
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7 reasonable to expect that the sample that shows a larger mean secondary carbide size
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9 will provide larger non-reactive areas of load support (in this case, the SCD+Q sample),
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would therefore present a lower wear rate.
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Summarizing, this work shows that the application of a multi-step thermal treatment of
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a high chromium cast iron consisting of the austenite destabilization and a subsequent
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19 quenching, lead to the precipitation of carbides inducing a significant reduction in the
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21 wear loss by an accurate tailoring of the secondary phase. When compared to a
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traditional quenching process, the same matrix phase is obtained but with different
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25 mean secondary carbide size, which further translates into better wear response without
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Concluding remarks
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33 In this study, we evaluated the effect of a destabilization treatment combined with a


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35 sub-critical diffusion and a quenching steps in the secondary carbides precipitation and
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37 their influence in the wear properties. It was observed, that HCCI in the as-cast
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39 condition composed by an austenitic matrix and eutectic carbides are not sufficient for a
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good abrasive wear resistance. In all cases, secondary carbides precipitated within the
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44 matrix are needed for an increase in wear response. A destabilization process followed
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46 by a SCD step allow not only the precipitation but also the growth of secondary
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48 carbides. An additional destabilization and quenching stages transform the matrix into
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50 martensite, resulting in a matrix with a higher hardness but no observable changes in
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52 secondary carbides. This process sequence also avoids the presence of ferrite (or
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pearlite) in the final microstructure, which would be detrimental for the mechanical
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3 properties. Finally, an improved wear resistance was observed in the SCD+Q sample
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5 compared to the Q one, being the size of secondary carbides apparently responsible for
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7 this behavior. For this, the destabilization followed by a SCD is a fundamental step for
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9 the secondary carbides growth.
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12 Wear mechanisms will be thoroughly analyzed in a further work, in order to evaluate
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the effect of microstructure changes in the wear rate and wear mechanisms, principally
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17 those related to the secondary carbides nature, shape and size.
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26 Acknowledgements
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29 This work was supported by the CREATE-Network Project, Horizon 2020 Program of
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31 the European Commission (RISE Project N° 644013).
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34 The authors want to thank to Priv.-Doz. Dr. Jose Garcia from AB Sandvik Coromant
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R&D (Technology Area Manager Carbide and Sintering) for the helpful discussion and
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38 verification of some of the results.
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3 [33] S. Atapek, S. Polat, A study of wear of high-chromium cast iron under dry
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friction, Met. Sci. Heat Treat. 55 (2013) 181–183.
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3 List of Figures
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5 Figure 1: schematic representation for the different thermal treatments (a) quenching,
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7 (b) sub-critical diffusion and (c) sub-critical diffusion followed by quenching.
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10 Figure 2: XRD diffractograms for the different thermal treatments. The inset in the
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12 image shows the shift and peak width of the martensite diffraction peaks (samples Q
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14 and SCD+Q) respect to that from the ferrite (sample SCD).
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17 Figure 3: a) Phase fraction vs temperature diagram, calculated with Thermocalc and
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b) Kikuchi patterns corresponding to the secondary carbides showing the hexagonal
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22 crystallographic structure (M7C3 type).
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25 Figure 4: Optical microscopy images showing: (a) the as cast condition; (b) the SCD
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27 sample (c) the Q sample; (d) the SCD+Q sample. The samples were etched with Vilella
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29 reagent for matrix/carbide contrast. Black arrows indicate the regions of eutectic
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31 carbides and the white arrows indicate regions of secondary carbides.
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34 Figure 5: SEM (BSE) Images for all the samples at different magnifications from left to
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right 500X, 2000X and 6500X, respectively. a) as cast, b) SCD, c) Q and d) SCD+Q.
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39 Figure 6: secondary carbides size distribution obtained after image analysis of SEM
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41 (BSE) images.
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44 Figure 7: (a) Hardness test results in the Rockwell C Scale and (b) micro-hardness
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46 measurements for three microstructural states: as Cast, Q and SCD + Q. Standard
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deviation of the measures is also plotted. (c) Optical micrograph showing the area
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51 influenced by the micro indentation during the eutectic zone measurement.
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54 Figure 8: wear rate volume in mm2.N-1 calculated after pin on disc test for the different
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3 Figure 9: (a) Backscattered electron micrograph of the wear track in the As-Cast
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5 sample (b) wear track of the quenched sample. The darker areas are tribologically
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Figure 4: Optical microscopy images showing: (a) the as cast condition; (b) the SCD sample (c) the Q
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45 Figure 7: (a) Hardness test results in the Rockwell C Scale and (b) micro-hardness measurements for three
46 microstructural states: as Cast, Q and SCD + Q. Standard deviation of the measures is also plotted. (c)
47 Optical micrograph showing the area influenced by the micro indentation during the eutectic zone
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45 Figure 9: (a) Backscattered electron micrograph of the wear track in the As-Cast sample (b) wear track of
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47 either carbides or unmodified matrix material. The white arrows indicate regions where the eutectic carbides
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