Production of Fe–B–TiB2 metal matrix composites on steel surface

Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) with boron reinforcement exhibit significant increase in the mechanical strength and wear characteristics compared to matrix alloys. Titanium Diboride (TiB2) particles have ideal properties for being used as reinforcing material due to their excellent mechanical and wear properties. This study enlightens the possibility of synthesizing Fe2B–TiB2 MMC layers on the surface of a plain steel using the plasma transferred arc (PTA) technique. The microstructure of the final alloyed layers depends on the portion of B and TiB2 powders used as covering material. TiB2 covering results in a microstructure of primary titanium diboride particles in a eutectic mixture of iron and TiB2 eutectic particles. Increasing B progressively leads to microstructures approximately described as hypoeutectic, eutectic or hypereutectic according to the Fe–B binary system, with the presence of TiB2 grains uniformly distributed throughout the alloyed layer.