Influence of WC addition on the wear resistance mechanism of laser additively manufactured Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni alloys

In this paper, Fe-17Mn-6Si-9Cr-5Ni alloys with different mass fractions of WC added were prepared using laser fused-wire deposition additive manufacturing technology. Their friction and wear behaviors under oil lubrication conditions were investigated, and the effects of WC additions on the wear-resistant mechanism of Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni alloys were analyzed and preliminarily discussed. The study indicates that in the Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni alloy, when a small amount of WC is added, such as no more than 1 wt.% under the conditions of this study, the hardness of the alloy increases with the addition of WC, but its wear resistance decreases. At this point, the wear resistance of the alloy is primarily influenced by the unique friction-reducing and wear-resistant characteristics brought about by stress-induced martensitic transformation in the iron-based memory alloy; When the addition of WC is further increased, such as to 2 wt.% and 4 wt.% under the conditions of this study, the hardness of the alloy continues to increase with the addition of WC, and its wear resistance also improves to some extent, but it is still roughly equivalent to that of the unmodified alloy. At this stage, no martensitic laths are observed in the subsurface layer subjected to friction and wear, suggesting that the wear resistance of the alloy is mainly influenced by the dispersion strengthening effect of WC particles. Under the conditions of this study, the alloy with the addition of 0.25 wt.% WC exhibits the best wear resistance.