Microstructure and wear properties of the surface of 2205 duplex stainless steel reinforced with Al2O3 particles by the plasma transferred arc technique

High temperature diffusion during the fabrication of stainless steel matrix composites reinforced with carbides leads to the formation of chromium carbides and subsequent depletion of the adjacent matrix, resulting in the deterioration of the anticorrosion properties. In this paper, we study the use of a more thermodynamically stable ceramic, aluminum oxide, in order to reinforce the surface of the austenitic–ferritic steel SAF 2205 by the plasma transferred arc (PTA) technique. The austenitic–ferritic microstructure was maintained, the Al2O3 reinforcement particles were finely distributed and no other microconstituents were found, leading to enhanced tribological properties.