IMPREGNATION OF SUBSTRATES OF TUNGSTEN MONOCARBIDE WITH LOW CARBON STEEL USING CONTACT AND NON-CONTACT METHODS

The article presents a study of the interaction of tungsten monocarbide and carbon steel by contact and non-contact methods. Substrates of compressed powder of tungsten carbide, sintered in a vacuum furnace, were impregnated with carbon steel with certain chemical composition. The whole process was recorded on a high-speed video camera that allows to measure the contact angle of the experiment at any time. The practical study was conducted on the experimental complex in the center of high-temperature studies of the Research Institute of Casting (Foundry Research Institute, Krakow, Poland). The experimental course and microstructures of obtained substrates were represented. The study of the chemical composition of tungsten monocarbide reaction products with low carbon steel was carried out by a scanning electron microscope “Jeol JSM-6460 LV”. According to the study of all areas on the substrate sections it can be observed the same structure, consisting of three phases: the grains of tungsten carbide and iron-carbon-tungsten compounds with different iron content. On the edge regions, adjacent to the upper face can be seen more of Fe – C – W-compounds with iron content of 22.86  %  –  23.68  %. This is because these areas impregnation occurred at the last turn, and dissolved the iron carbide to a greater extent than in other areas. In areas of direct interaction between the substrate and the metal clearly identified tungsten carbide grains, bonded together by molten iron (with different content of iron in different phases). On both samples on horizontal surfaces of the substrates in the region adjacent to the absorption field, partially iron film covering is observed over the sample surface. Boundary zone horizontal surfaces of substrates are completely covered with iron film, under which the tungsten carbide grains are located. Despite the use of different methods of studying the interaction of tungsten monocarbide with low carbon steel (contact and contactless heating), a significant difference is not observed between the structure of the samples.

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