Phase Equilibrium and Microstructure Examinations of Eutectic Fe-C-Mn-B Alloys

In this study, we analyzed the quaternary Fe-C-Mn-B system to create new eutectic cast alloys for coating deposition and additive manufacturing. Experimental samples were fabricated via the wire arc manufacturing method with argon shielding using Kemppi Pro 5200 Evolution equipment. Annealing was performed in a vacuum electric furnace at 1273 K for 350 h. For phase analyses, Jeol Superprobe 733 equipment was used. Metallographic and differential thermal analyses were used to reveal the eutectic structure of the samples. Examinations of the quaternary Fe-C-Mn-B system demonstrated that several eutectic alloys existed in the system. Four isothermal pseudo-ternary sections of the Fe-C-Mn-B system were studied: “Fe(3)B”-Fe(3)C-“Fe(3)Mn”; Fe(2)B-“Fe(2)C”-“Fe(2)Mn”; “Fe(3)B”-Fe(3)C-“Fe(1.2)Mn”; “Fe(23)B(6)”-“Fe(23)C(6)”-“Fe(23)Mn”. Broad eutectic concentrations enabled us to overcome parameter fluctuations during additive manufacturing. In each isothermal section, two dissimilar phase regions were determined: one with a ternary Fe-C-B composition and the other with a ternary Fe-C-Mn composition. Depending on the manganese content, two types of solid solutions could be formed: (Fe, Mn)(α) or (Fe, Mn)(γ).