Investigation of the wear behavior of B4C reinforced Fe/Co matrix composites produced by hot press

Diamond tools are widely used for sawing, drilling and grinding materials. The extreme hardness of diamonds and the strength of the diamond/matrix combination make these tools superior. In this experimental study, diamond impregnated in Fe-Co matrix are processed by powder metallurgy method using hot pressing technique. The effects of Fe and boron carbide (B4C) additions on characteristic of diamond impregnated Co matrix composites have been investigated. The composite reinforced with and without B4C samples having three different compositions (different Fe / Co ratio) were produced under 25 MPa pressure and sintered at 900 degrees C temperature. After sinterning, hardness test was carried out and wear tests were performed by a pin-on-disc type of wear configuration. The experimental results showed that addition of Fe caused decreasing in the hardness of the matrix, and also reinforcing of B4C unaffected on the hardness of the composite. It is observed that wear resistance of B4C reinforced Fe-Co metal matrix composite was greater than that of composite without reinforcement (B4C). Furthermore, the characterization of produced composites using SEM and EDS analyses is done. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer review under responsibilitu of ICM11