Electropulse-produced bio-inspired steel with soft-hard phases to solve conflicting demands of hardness and impact toughness

Chao Wu; Yang Zhao; Xiaofeng Xu; Yachong Zhou; Xudong Yan; Zhicheng Wu; Lai We; Xiaoming Qiu

Journal of Materials Research and Technology (May 2023)

Electropulse-produced bio-inspired steel with soft-hard phases to solve conflicting demands of hardness and impact toughness

Chao Wu,
Yang Zhao,
Xiaofeng Xu,
Yachong Zhou,
Xudong Yan,
Zhicheng Wu,
Lai We,
Xiaoming Qiu

Affiliations

Chao Wu: Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 130025, Changchun, PR China
Yang Zhao: Bionic Research Institute, Jilin University, 264400, Weihai, PR China; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, and College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China
Xiaofeng Xu: Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 130025, Changchun, PR China; Bionic Research Institute, Jilin University, 264400, Weihai, PR China; Corresponding author.
Yachong Zhou: Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 130025, Changchun, PR China
Xudong Yan: Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 130025, Changchun, PR China
Zhicheng Wu: Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 130025, Changchun, PR China
Lai We: Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 130025, Changchun, PR China
Xiaoming Qiu: Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 130025, Changchun, PR China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 24
pp. 7326 – 7337

Abstract

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To solve two conflicting demands of hardness and impact toughness, we learn from nature and provide a novel strategy to fabricate bio-inspired steel based on electropulsing, which produces self-generated hard blocks on the soft matrix without composition change. The results show that current parameters can well control the size and hardness of hard blocks, and thus the appropriate combination of soft and hard blocks can be selected to meet the actual working requirements. The bio-inspired steel exhibits excellent comprehensive performance. The wear resistance, elongation, and impact toughness of the bio-inspired steel are about 7.99 × 106 N m/g, 22.6% and 196.3 J/cm2, respectively, which are 22%, 232%, and 542% higher than that in the traditional quenched samples. Moreover, the hard blocks protrude, and specimens show a non-smooth surface after deformation. For the specimen with elongation of 20%, its wear resistance further increases to 9.16 × 106 N m/g, which is about 14.6% higher than the specimens without morphological change and about 39.8% higher than the traditional quenched specimens.

Published in Journal of Materials Research and Technology

ISSN: 2238-7854 (Print); 2214-0697 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Technology: Mining engineering. Metallurgy
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-materials-research-and-technology/

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