Mechanical and wear behaviour of hot-pressed 304 stainless steel matrix composites containing TiB₂ particles

In the present article, mechanical and wear behaviour of hot-pressed 304 stainless steel matrix composites containing 2 and 4 vol% TiB₂ particles was investigated. A density of over 92% was achieved at optimum hot-pressing temperature and TiB₂ particles’ content. Microhardness and yield strength of the composites were found to be improved remarkably as compared to their unreinforced counterpart. The enhancement of mechanical properties of the composites was discussed in light of their microstructural aspects and different possible strengthening mechanism models. Taylor strengthening was found to be dominant strengthening mechanism as compared to Orowan strengthening and load-bearing effect. Dry sliding wear behaviour was also investigated under load of 35 N at sliding speed 0.3 m/s. The wear resistance of the composites was found to be improved owing to uniform distribution of hard TiB₂ particles. Based on our findings, it was concluded that processing parameters and amount of TiB₂ have significant influence on mechanical and wear behaviour of steel matrix composites.