High-Strength TIC Rod Reinforced Casting

Performance Advantages of High-Chromium Titanium Carbide Composite Rod Castings

High-chromium titanium carbide composite rods are composite castings formed by uniformly dispersing titanium carbide (TiC) hard phases in a high-chromium alloy matrix. Their performance advantages stem from the synergistic complementarity between the high toughness and corrosion resistance of high-chromium alloys and the high hardness and wear resistance of titanium carbide. They are particularly suitable for harsh working conditions involving wear, corrosion, and impact loads. Below is a detailed analysis of their core casting performance advantages:

I. Exceptional Wear Resistance: Balancing "Hard Wear Resistance" and "Impact Wear Resistance"

As the core advantage of wear-resistant castings, high-chromium titanium carbide composite rods address the pain points of traditional wear-resistant materials—either "hard but brittle" or "tough but not wear-resistant"—through a structural design combining "hard phases + strong matrix":

Hardness-driven wear resistance from hard phases:Titanium carbide (TiC), as the primary wear-resistant phase, has a Mohs hardness of 9–9.5. Dispersed uniformly as micron-sized particles in the casting, it forms a "rigid wear-resistant barrier". When exposed to working conditions such as ore grinding, metal scouring, and particle impact, TiC directly resists the cutting and extrusion of abrasive media. Its wear resistance is 2–4 times that of ordinary high-chromium cast iron (e.g., Cr15 series) , approaching the wear resistance level of pure titanium carbide materials.

Impact resistance guaranteed by high-chromium matrix: The high-chromium alloy matrix (typically containing 12%–20% Cr) forms a martensite + carbide structure after heat treatment, exhibiting both high strength (tensile strength ≥ 800 MPa) and good toughness (impact toughness ≥ 15 J/cm²). When the casting is subjected to impact loads (e.g., material falling, equipment vibration), the matrix can absorb impact energy, preventing the TiC hard phase from falling off due to brittle fracture. Compared with pure TiC castings (prone to chipping) or ceramic wear parts (poor impact resistance), it is more adaptable to complex scenarios with both "wear and impact" (e.g., crusher hammers, conveyor pipe liners).

II. Excellent Corrosion Resistance: Adapting to Harsh Environments with Multiple Media

High-chromium alloys themselves are classic corrosion-resistant materials, and the chemical inertness of TiC further enhances the corrosion resistance of composite castings, making them suitable for wear-resistant working conditions involving corrosive media:

Passivation protection of high-chromium matrix: In air, water, or weakly corrosive media (e.g., sulfur-containing wastewater, weakly acidic ore pulp), the high-chromium alloy rapidly forms a dense Cr₂O₃ passivation film on its surface, preventing further oxidation or corrosion of the matrix. Even if the passivation film is locally damaged, Cr elements can diffuse and repair it quickly to maintain corrosion resistance.

Corrosion resistance enhancement by TiC’s inertness: TiC is inert to most ferrous metals (e.g., carbon steel, stainless steel), non-ferrous alloys (e.g., aluminum, copper), and most acids and alkalis (except strong oxidizing acids like concentrated nitric acid), and does not react with corrosive media. In composite castings, the dispersed distribution of TiC not only does not damage the passivation film of the matrix but also reduces the contact area between corrosive media and the matrix, further lowering the corrosion rate. Its corrosion resistance is 30%–50% higher than that of ordinary high-chromium cast iron , making it applicable to wear scenarios with corrosion such as coastal ore processing and chemical waste residue treatment.

III. Good High-Temperature Stability: Withstanding Medium-to-High-Temperature Wear Conditions

Compared with most organic wear-resistant materials or low-alloy wear parts, high-chromium titanium carbide composite rods have significant advantages in high-temperature performance and can adapt to medium-to-high-temperature wear environments (300–800 °C), such as sintering equipment liners and hot slag conveying components:

High-temperature hardness retention of TiC: Titanium carbide has a melting point as high as 3140 °C and hardly softens below 800 °C. Its high-temperature hardness (HRA ≥ 85) only decreases by 5%–8% compared with room-temperature hardness, enabling it to continuously resist the erosion of abrasive media at high temperatures. In contrast, ordinary high-chromium cast iron undergoes a sharp decline in wear resistance (hardness loss exceeding 30%) due to matrix softening above 500 °C.

High-temperature oxidation resistance of high-chromium matrix: Cr elements in the high-chromium matrix form a more stable Cr₂O₃ + TiO₂ composite oxide film at high temperatures (TiO₂ generated by TiC oxidation synergizes with Cr₂O₃ to form a dense structure). This film prevents oxygen from diffusing into the interior of the casting, avoiding high-temperature oxidative spalling of the matrix and ensuring structural integrity under high-temperature working conditions.

IV. Good Casting Process Adaptability and Dimensional Stability

Although the composite structure of high-chromium titanium carbide rods contains high-hardness TiC phases, they still exhibit good castability, and the castings have excellent dimensional accuracy and service stability after forming:

Compatibility with casting processes: By adjusting the particle size of TiC (usually 5–50 μm) and adding trace rare earth elements (e.g., Ce, La) to improve wettability, conventional processes such as sand casting and centrifugal casting can be used for production. The castings can be manufactured into various shapes such as rods, tubes, and plates to meet the installation requirements of different equipment (e.g., coal mill rollers, conveying screws).

Low shrinkage and deformation resistance: The difference in thermal expansion coefficient between TiC (7.4×10⁻⁶/°C) and the high-chromium matrix (11–13×10⁻⁶/°C) is small, so cracks caused by thermal stress are less likely to occur during the casting cooling process. At the same time, the thermal expansion rate of composite castings is stable from room temperature to high temperatures (≤ 12×10⁻⁶/°C), and no dimensional deformation occurs due to temperature fluctuations during service, ensuring the fitting accuracy with equipment (e.g., bearing positions, sealing surfaces).

V. Long Service Life and Economy: Reducing Comprehensive Usage Costs

From a full-life-cycle perspective, the performance advantages of high-chromium titanium carbide composite rods are directly translated into economic benefits:

Ultra-long service life: Relying on comprehensive performance including "wear resistance + corrosion resistance + impact resistance", the service life of these castings is usually 2–3 times that of ordinary high-chromium cast iron parts and 4–6 times that of high-manganese steel parts. This reduces the frequency of equipment shutdowns for spare part replacement (e.g., for mine crusher hammers, the replacement cycle can be extended from 1–2 months to 6–12 months).

Low maintenance and replacement costs: Although the initial purchase cost is higher than that of ordinary wear-resistant materials, the comprehensive usage cost per unit time (including purchase, installation, and downtime losses) can be reduced by 40%–60% due to extended service life and reduced fault maintenance. They are especially suitable for key wear parts of large industrial equipment (e.g., cement vertical mills, metallurgical rolling mills).

In summary, the performance advantages of high-chromium titanium carbide composite rod castings focus on "synergistic optimization of multiple properties". They not only retain the extreme wear resistance of titanium carbide but also make up for the brittleness and corrosion resistance shortcomings of hard materials through the high-chromium matrix, while balancing castability and economy. They are the preferred wear-resistant castings in industries such as mining, building materials, metallurgy, and chemical engineering for scenarios with "high wear and complex working conditions".