Chromium carbides

The chromium-carbon phase diagram shows the existence of three carbide phases Ct2T,C(, CryC3 and Cr3C2. Only Cr3C2 has industrial importance and it is manufactured by the carburization of chromium(IIl) oxide under a hydrogen atmosphere. 

Chromium carbides are mainly utilized in cemented carbide alloys with a nickel bonding phase. The.se alloys are notable for their good corrosion and scaling resistance combined with abrasion resistance and are therefore utilized in high temperature applications. 

CrjCi is a common component of corro.sion and scaling resistant cemented carbides with a nickel bonding phases 

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Thermal spray processes can be used to give coatings of chromium carbide or nickel chromium for erosion resistance, copper nickel indium for fretting resistance, tungsten carbide cobalt for wear and abrasion resistance, and even aluminum siHcon polyester mixtures for abradabiHty. 

Addition of niobium to austenitic stainless steels inhibits intergranular corrosion by forming niobium carbide with the carbon that is present in the steel. Without the niobium addition, chromium precipitates as a chromium carbide film at the grain boundaries and thus depletes the adjacent areas of chromium and reduces the corrosion resistance. An amount of niobium equal to 10 times the carbon content is necessary to prevent precipitation of the chromium carbide. 

The first carbonitride alloys based on Ti(C,N)—Ni—Mo were iatroduced ia 1970 foUowed by (Ti, Mo)(C,N)-based compositions having fine microstmctures that provided a balance of wear resistance and toughness (4). Continued research on the titanium carbonitride alloys, often called TiC—TiN cermets, ia the 1980s led to the developmeat of complex cermets having a variety of additives such as molybdeaum carbide(2 l) [12069-89-5] M02C, TaC, NbC, zirconium carbide [12020-14-3], ZrC, hafnium carbide [12069-85-1], HfC, WC, vanadium carbide [12070-10-9], VC, chromium carbide (3 2)... 

The four most important carbides for the production of hard metals are tungsten carbide [12070-12-17, WC, titanium carbide [12070-08-5] TiC, tantalum carbide [12070-06-3J, TaC, and niobium carbide [12069-94-2] NbC. The binary and ternary soHd solutions of these carbides such as WC—TiC and WC—TiC—TaC (NbC) are also of great importance. Chromium carbide (3 2) [12012-39-0], molybdenum carbide [12011-97-1], MoC, and... 

Chromium Carbide. the chromium carbide having the highest carbon level, is used as an additive in the preparation of cobalt or... 

Chromium carbide can be best prepared from pure chromic oxide [1308-38-9] (see Chromium compounds). Compacts containing 74 wt %... 

Chromium carbide is important in powder preparations designed for thermal spray apphcations of corrosion and wear-resistant coatings on tool and machine parts. Lower carbon carbides of chromium are important in hardfacing tods and electrodes for weld-apphed ovedays on machine wear surfaces. However, these carbides are usually formed in situ from Cr and C in the rod and not added as preformed carbides. The properties of Ci2C2 are hsted in Table 2. 

Iron carbide (3 1), Fe C mol wt 179.56 carbon 6.69 wt % density 7.64 g/cm mp 1650°C is obtained from high carbon iron melts as a dark gray air-sensitive powder by anodic isolation with hydrochloric acid. In the microstmcture of steels, cementite appears in the form of etch-resistant grain borders, needles, or lamellae. Fe C powder cannot be sintered with binder metals to produce cemented carbides because Fe C reacts with the binder phase. The hard components in alloy steels, such as chromium steels, are double carbides of the formulas (Cr,Fe)23Cg, (Fe,Cr)2C3, or (Fe,Cr)3C2, that derive from the binary chromium carbides, and can also contain tungsten or molybdenum. These double carbides are related to Tj-carbides, ternary compounds of the general formula M M C where M = iron metal M = refractory transition metal. 

In the nickel—carbon and cobalt—carbon systems, the nickel carbide (3 1) [12012-02-1], Ni C, and cobalt carbide (3 1) [12011-59-5] C03C, are isomorphous with Fe C and exist only at low temperatures. The manganese—carbon system contains manganese carbide (3 1) [12121 -90-3] Mn C, isomorphous with Fe C, and manganese carbide (23 6) [12266-65-8] isomorphous with chromium carbide (23 6) [12105-81 -6] These... 

Specify low carbon grades of stainless steel. Since sensitization results from the formation of chromium carbides, one approach is to sufficiently reduce the level of carbon in the alloy. Reduction of the carbon level to 0.03% or less has been shown to be effective in preventing sensitization. The low carbon grade of 304 is designated 304L 316 is 316L. Note the cautions below. 

Specify stabilized grades of stainless steel. An alternative method to prevent chromium carbide formation is to charge the alloy with substances whose affinity for carbon is greater than that of chromium. These substances will react preferentially with the carbon, preventing chromium carbide formation and thereby leaving the chromium uniformly distributed in the metal. The carbon content of the alloy does not have to be reduced if sufficient quantities of these stabilizing elements are present. Titanium is used to produce one stabilized alloy (321) and niobium is used to provide another (347). Note the cautions below. 

Fig ure 5-25. Rotor disk shown from the exhaust end. Blade trailing edges are coated with chromium carbide. 

Poor Weldability a. Underbead cracking, high hardness in heat-affected zone. b. Sensitization of nonstabilized austenitic stainless steels. a. Any welded structure. b. Same a. Steel with high carbon equivalents (3), sufficiently high alloy contents. b. Nonstabilized austenitic steels are subject to sensitization. a. High carbon equivalents (3), alloy contents, segregations of carbon and alloys. b. Precipitation of chromium carbides in grain boundaries and depletion of Cr in adjacent areas. a. Use steels with acceptable carbon equivalents (3) preheat and postheat when necessary stress relieve the unit b. Use stabilized austenitic or ELC stainless steels. 

Precipitation, 425/870 C at cryogenic components, trays steels, except the chromium carbides extra low carbon... 

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