Achieving high impact–abrasion–corrosion resistance of high–chromium wear–resistant steel via vanadium additions
Xueyu Liao, Zhibin Zheng, Tianlong Liu, Jun Long, Shuai Wang, Haoyu Zhang, Kaihong Zheng
Abstract
In this study, four high-chromium wear-resistant steels with varying vanadium contents were prepared. Their mechanical properties, corrosion behaviour and impact–abrasion–corrosion behaviour were comprehensively investigated in a simulated corrosive slurry environment. The result indicated the effectiveness of vanadium in enhancing the impact toughness of the steel. Notably, high-chromium steel with 0.2% vanadium exhibited notable characteristics, including a Rockwell hardness of 56.2 HRC and an impact toughness of 113.5 J. Introducing vanadium enhanced the corrosion resistance of high-chromium steels in electrochemical experiments. In terms of impact–abrasion–corrosion performance, the high-chromium steel containing 0.2% vanadium exhibited the highest resistance to impact–abrasion–corrosion when subjected to both the impact energies of 3 J and 6 J. Comprehensive examinations of surface and cross-sectional damage, coupled with detailed microstructure and microhardness analyses, revealed that the development of a white etching layer on the material's surface is crucial to enhancing its resistance to impact–abrasion–corrosion.