Heat Treating Effect on WC-Co Tool Tip Scraps Reinforcement in Hadfield Austenitic Manganese Steel

Abstract

A study of the utilization of WC-Co tool tip scraps as reinforcement in MMC with a Hadfield austenitic manganese steel matrix was conducted using an in situ metal casting technique. This study concerns the effect of the heat-treatment process on the cast sample of MMC. The results show that the heating temperature affects the grain size of the austenite around the interface between Hadfield austenitic manganese steel and WC-Co tool tip scraps. Heating at high temperatures leads to an increase in the austenite grain size. Microstructure analysis also shows that the heat-treatment process does not affect the bond between WC-Co tool tip scraps and Hadfield austenitic manganese steel. However, mechanical property testing reveals that higher heat-treatment temperatures result in a decrease in the hardness of the MMC.

Keywords

• WC-Co tool tip scraps
• Hadfield austenitic manganese steel
• casting
• microstructure
• hardness