Role of reinforcement in sintering of SiC/316L stainless steel composite

Austenitic stainless steels with improved corrosion resistance are gaining wide popularity. However, their applications are limited because of their poor tribological properties. The present work was undertaken to improve the overall performance of 316L stainless steel by reinforcing it with SiC. During the processing of the 316L SS composite, the 316L SS matrix was found to interact strongly with the SiC at 1100°C resulting in the formation of low melting Fe-SiC phase. An attempt to process SiC/316L SS composite above this temperature resulted in complete melting of the composite compact.