Friction Wear and Rolling Contact Fatigue Properties of Spheroidal Vanadium Carbide Cast Iron

Abstract

  We call Fe-C-V-Ni-Cr type alloys containing spheroidal vanadium carbide (VC) spheroidal vanadium carbide cast irons (SVI). The friction wear and rolling contact fatigue properties of SVI were investigated by a friction test using a lathe and a Nishihara type rolling wear test machine with light oil lubricant respectively. Friction wear resistance of SVI was much higher than that of ADI (600HV50) because the spheroidal VC with high hardness raises wear resistance, Friction wear resistance of Fe-2.62% C-10.46% V-7.84% Ni-17.92% Cr-0.84% Si-0.68% Mn(specimenB) with consistent VC distribution and little crystallization of plate-like type Cr-carbide was highest among the three specimens. SpecimenB also showed the highest rolling contact fatigue limit (F^∗), and Fe-3.02% C-10.18% V-8.4% Ni-18.45% Cr-1.07% Si-1.07% Mn(specimenA) showed lower F^∗ than that of Fe-2.30% C-10.20% V-10.26% Ni-18.24% Cr-1.25% Si-0.95% Mn(specimenC) with the lowest hardness. In order to raise friction wear resistance and F^∗ of SVI, homogenization of distribution of VC and reduction of Cr-carbide are required.