EROSION OF FERRITIC FE-CR-C CAST ALLOYS AT ELEVATED-TEMPERATURES

A series of experiments was carried out to quantify the wear propertie s for a wide range of ferritic Fe-Cr-C cast alloys at a temperature of 450 degrees C. The main alloying elements of the alloys were varied a s follows: 0.10%-2.48% C, 15%-43.8% Cr, 0.2%-0.51% Si. A semi-empirica l model, based on Bitter's model of erosive wear, has been developed t o describe the wear of these alloys as a function of chemical composit ion and wear conditions. It has been shown that, depending on wear con ditions, carbon may be beneficial or deleterious. A synergistic effect of silicon with carbon has been observed, which would not have been o bvious from simple wear analysis. Finally, the results clearly indicat ed that, from a wear resistance point of view, the chromium level is n ot important. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.