Effect of TiC, TiN, and TiCN on microstructural, mechanical and tribological properties of PM steels

Developments in sintering of powder mixtures contributed growth of steel production via powder metallurgy. This study aims to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of carbon steels produced via powder metallurgy. For this purpose, P/M carbon steel was alloyed with 3 % Manganese. Then, this alloyed steel was reinforced with particles such as titanium carbide (TiC), titanium nitride (TiN) and titanium carbonitride (TiCN) in different proportions (0.5 and 1 %) and combinations. The effect of these additives on the mechanical properties of PM steels was determined by conducting tensile and hardness tests. Wear tests were performed to understand the tribological properties of samples. Also, microstructural properties, fracture surfaces, and worn surfaces of samples were examined using a Scanning Electron Microscope. Results show that the hardness and tensile strength of carbon steel increased by nearly 158 % and 62 % respectively, while the wear resistance improved by 4 times with the addition of 3 % Mn and 0.5 % TiCN.