J O U R N A L OF M A T E R I A L S SCIENCE LETTERS 13 (1994) 112-114

Modification of Fe-Cr-C alloys using mischmetal

K. PEEV, M. RADULOVIC, M. FISET
Department of Mining and Metallurgy, Laval University, Quebec, Canada

High-chromium white cast iron is widely used as a values using the equation for bend specimens pro-
wear-resistant material. The use of hypoeutectic vided in ASTM E-399 [19].
alloys containing 18-22% Cr is most common [1-4]. Using mischmetal to modify high-chromium white
The microstructure of these alloys consists of prim- iron causes the structure to become finer and
ary austenite dendrites and eutectic carbides, comp- decreases the width of austenite dendrite arms and
osed of M7C3 carbides and austenite [5-8]. the size of M7C3 carbide. The morphology of phases
The demand for technological advancements and also changes (Fig. 1). The globular shape of the
cost-effectiveness has underscored the need to dendrites becomes more dominant and the volume
improve the quality of F e - C r - C alloys. The alloy fraction of phases changes. The content of M7C3
quality can be improved by means of heat treatment, eutectic carbide in a non-modified alloy and in a
modifying or additional alloying. modified alloy is 25.8 and 24.6%, respectively.
Mischmetal has been used for many years as a The matrix microstructure of the alloys examined
modifying agent to improve the properties of grey in an as-cast condition consisted mainly of austenite
and ductile irons. Reports have demonstrated the (Fig. 2). Only eutectic austenite was partly trans-
positive influence of mischmetal on the microstruc- formed into martensite. However, in the alloy
ture and properties of non-alloyed and low-alloyed containing rare-earth elements, fine carbide parti-
white cast irons [9-16]. However, there is little cles in the austenite were observed (Figs lb and 2b).
information available on the effects of modifying After high-temperature heat-treatment the matrix
high-chromium white iron using mischmetal [17]. microstructure of both alloys was predominantly
This letter examines how mischmetal affects the
microstructure and properties of high-chromium
iron in the as-cast condition and after heat treat-
ment.
A basic alloy containing 3.03% C, 16.2% Cr,
0.55% Si, 0.85% Mn, 0.72% Cu, 0.92% Mo and
0.30% Ni with the usual impurities was selected and
an induction furnace was used for melting. Before
and after treatment with mischmetal, samples
(10 mm x 20 m m x 55 mm test blocks for abrasion
tests and 13 mm x 13 mm x 55 mm test blocks for
fracture toughness) were poured into bentonite sand
mixture moulds. Samples for structural analysis and
hardness were selected from abrasion test blocks.
Neutronic activation analysis revealed that the
modified alloy contained 0.23% rare-earth elements
(0.13% Ce, 0.06% La and 0.04% Nd).
Samples were heat-treated at 950 °C for 1 h in an
electric furnace with no protective atmosphere and
were cooled to room temperature in still air. The
microstructure was examined using conventional
optical microscopy. The amount of eutectic carbide
was determined by means of an image analyser. The
abrasive wear resistance was determined by measur-
ing the loss of mass, following the procedure
described in American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM) Standard Practice G-65, Pro-
cedure B (Rubber Wheel Abrasion Test) [18].
The dynamic fracture toughness was measured
using an impact testing machine equipped with an
instrumental Charpy tup. The standard Charpy
specimen was notched by electrical discharge
machining (EDM) with a 0.2 mm-radius slot 2 mm Figure1 As-cast microstructures of the alloys examined: (a)
in depth. The fracture load was used to calculate Kid non-modified and (b) modified(× 158).
1 12 0261-8028 © 1994 Chapman & Hall
Figure2 As-cast microstructures of the alloys examined: (a)
non-modified and (b) modified (× 395).
martensite (Fig. 3). The fractional transformation of
austenite, however, was lower in the non-modified
alloy.
The results obtained from measurements of the
hardness, abrasion resistance and toughness of
non-modified and modified high-chromium white
iron are shown in Table I. The modified alloy had
improved properties both in the as-cast condition
and after high-temperature heat-treatment.
Rare-earth elements contained in mischmetal
influence the crystallization process of high-chro-
mium white iron and manifest in the form of changes
in the volume fraction, size and morphology of
phases present in the structure (Fig. 1). These
elements form very fine inclusions in high-
chromium iron, as shown in Fig. 2b. During the
crystallization process, due to the formation of
favourable thermal and concentration conditions,
carbide particles form around these inclusions. As
T A B LE I Mechanical properties of the alloys examined
Matrix hardness
(Hv) Hv(30)
Alloy
no. As-cast Heat-treated As-cast Heat-treated
1 340 649 535 749
2 366 670 537 775
Figure3 Heat-treated microstructures of the alloys examined: (a)
non-modified and (b) modified (×789).
carbides form, the concentrations of carbon and
chromium in the melt decrease, which retards the
crystallization process in a modified alloy. These
solidification conditions cause larger amounts of
primary austenite dendrites and smaller amounts of
eutectic carbides to form (Fig. 1).
Furthermore, as the rate of nucleation decreases
and primary austenite dendrites grow, the dendrite
arms should be larger, i.e. the structure should be
coarser. However, fine carbide particles present in
the modified alloy, which have formed mainly
around inclusions, act as nucleation centres for
austenitic grains or prevent their growth. This final
nucleation process affects not only the formation of
finer austenite dendrites, but also the change in their
morphology. Therefore, the shape of eutectic colo-
nies is determined predominantly by the volume
fraction and morphology of primary austenite den-
drites.
Abrasion resistance Kid
weight loss (g) (MPa m ~/2)
As-cast Heat-treated As-cast Heat-treated
0.091 0.078 39.2 27.2
0.079 0.068 29.8
113
 Austenite remains stable as it cools to room
temperature, due to the high content of alloying
elements in both alloys examined (Figs 1 and 2).
However, because fine carbide particles are present,
the matrix microhardness in the as-cast condition is
higher in a modified alloy than it is in an alloy that
has not been modified (Table I).
The different crystallization conditions of a non-
modified and a modified alloy also produce different
compositions of austenite. It must also be assumed
that the austenitic as-cast matrix microstructure
contains particles of very fine rare-earth elements on
which carbides did not form during the crystalliz-
ation process, since they are probably much smaller
than the critical size. This condition is necessary in
order to create conditions that favour the formation
of carbides. These particles may also act as nucle-
ation centres for the formation of secondary car-
bides. During heat treatment the difference in
composition and probable presence of very fine
particles of rare-earth elements in austenite inf-
luence the precipitation of a larger amount of
secondary carbides at the destabilization temp-
erature. Since the volume fraction of martensite
formed during the cooling process after destabiliz-
ation depends on the amount of precipitated car-
bides [5], the rate of martensitic transformation will
be higher, i.e. the volume fraction of retained
austenite is smaller in a modified alloy than in an
alloy that has not been modified, as results indicate
(Fig. 3).
Modification of high-chromium iron by misch-
metal improves its properties (Table I). Although
the volume fraction of M7C3 eutectic carbide is
smaller, the wear resistance of the modified alloy is
13.6% higher than in a non-modified alloy. The
wear resistance is improved as a result of a decrease
in the size of the phases in the structure and by a
change in the morphology of the eutectie colonies.
Changes in microstructural parameters also affect
the toughness, since a modified alloy after heat
treatment is 10% tougher than a non-modified alloy.
In conclusion, modification of high-chromium
white cast iron by mischmetal affects the alloy
crystallization process, and therefore the changes in
volume fraction, size and morphology of the phases
114
in the as-cast structure. Moreover, the level of
retained austenite in a modified alloy is lower than
that in a non-modified alloy after high-temperature
treatment. Changes in the microstructural para-
meters, caused by modification of the alloy, im-
proved toughness and wear resistance in both the
as-cast condition and after high-temperature heat
treatment.
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Received 10 May
and accepted 9 August 1993