Investigation on the Influence of Tempering on Microstructure and Wear Properties of High Alloy Chromium Cast Iron

Mechanical properties, wear resistance and impact resistance of a high-alloy chromium cast iron used in the fabrication of grinding balls have been studied. A rank of tempering heat treatments under several temperatures 500°C, 525°C, 550°C and 575°C was performed after austenitized at 1050°C. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques have been used to characterize the microstructures and identify the phases. The wear balls tests were conducted in a rotating drum with a velocity 0.5 r/s. The tribological tests were carried out by evaluated a weight loss as function time. The measurement of the rebound resilience was determined by Charpy impact tests. The results of XRD showed the presence of the martensite, carbides type M₇C₃ and M₂C for all tempering heat treated. The hardness of the sample increased after the tempering and reach nearly 65 HRC at 1050°C. In another hand, it decreased after the tempering treatment it could be explained by precipitation of the carbides type M₂C.