Abstract:
Hitherto metal pieces made of alloy cast iron Fe/Cr and exposed to wear, of which the basic mass had a martensitic character, contained, without any exception, secondary carbide deposits; this was due to the fact that these pieces, once cast, were first cooled to room temperature and, only after, submitted to high temperature treatment for the hardening. On the other hand, the metal pieces intended for exposure to wear and obtained according to the invention are substantially free of secondary carbide deposits; this is achieved as follows: the unmoulding of the moulded cores is done immediately after solidification and without any cooling under the perlite point AC u ; then, in order to destabilize the austenite, it is kept during five hours at least at a temperature above the perlite point AC u; after, the temperature is gradually lowered until it reaches room temperature, while avoiding, nevertheless, the formation of perlite and bainite. There is substantially no elimination of secondary carbides which cause deterioration of the physical characteristics of the pieces in question. The pieces obtained according to the invention are of improved and more uniform quality and have a higher resistance to deformation, while having the same resistance to wear.