Investigation of abrasive wear resistance and wear mechanism of composite alloys

The abrasive wear resistance of composite alloys comprising hard tungsten carbide and soft CuNiMn matrix under different wear conditions has been investigated and compared with CrMo cast iron. It was found that Yz-composite alloy with hard cast angular tungsten carbide has greater wear resistance than CrMo cast iron under two-body wear conditions, but lower resistance than Cr-Mo cast iron under three-body wear conditions. It was found that under three-body wear conditions selective wear of the matrix and digging or fragmentation of tungsten carbide particles dominate in Yz-composite alloy, and microcutting and deformed ploughing is dominant under two-body wear conditions. The abrasive wear resistance of composite alloys under two-body wear condition is independent of bulk hardness, but is closely related to the microhardness of tungsten carbide.