In this study, the effect of titanium addition on the microstructure and wear behavior of
Hadfield steel was investigated. To do so, four groups of samples with different titanium
contents of 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 wt% were prepared. After casting, the samples were
austenitized at 1100 °C for 3
h and quenched in water subsequently for solution treatment. The
microstructure of the samples was investigated using an optical microscope (OM) and
scanning electron microscope (SEM). For more studies the carbide composition was analyzed
via energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). A wear test was performed via a pin-on-disk wear
testing machine. The results show that after heat treatment the microstructure of the
titanium-free sample is fully austenitic, while the other samples show an austenitic
structure with non-continuous carbide precipitates. It was also revealed that titanium
addition improves the hardness and wear resistance of the samples. The highest wear
resistance was observed in the sample with 0.6 wt% titanium content. It was also shown
that the predominant wear mechanisms are adhesive and tribo-chemical. Beyond this, the
effect of cold working via a hammering treatment was studied on the samples and revealed
that austenite-to-martensite transformation improves the hardness and wear resistance
significantly.