Effect of Ti/C ratio on microstructure and performance of in-situ synthesis TiC particles reinforced steel matrix surface composites

Ball-milled Ti powder and C powder with different ratio were pressed into a preform,the preform was adhered on an EPS foam model;high-temperature liquid steel was poured by V-EPC to ignite the SHS reaction,the Ti C-particle-reinforced steel- matrix composite material was prepared. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite material were studied with X-ray,OM,TEM,EDS and through hardness test. The result indicates that the alloy layers of the composites are of quality surface with fine and dense structure. The composite material consists of three parts,namely,the composite layer,the transition layer and the matrix. The composite layer is composed of Ti C,(Fe,Ti)C particle and α-Fe matrix,the Ti C particles are of ball or ball-like shape and are evenly distributed. The hardness of the composite material decreases from outside to inside,and the highest hardness is 70 HRC.