Comparison of the effect of carbide addition on particle size reduction on UNS S31803 steel chip millings

This study aims to analyze the efficiency of additional carbides in the high-energy milling of duplex stainless steel chips. At the end of the life of a mechanical component, it is discarded in deposits or recast. Chips originating from machining processes are raw materials for products obtained through powder metallurgy. To obtain the duplex structure for a stainless steel, rolled and annealing are necessary subsequent steps, making this cycle costly for the industry, and its disposal leads to environmental problems. Components produced by powder metallurgy from corrosion-resistant alloys are considered advantageous. The addition of carbides aims to increase the efficiency of the milling process and improve the mechanical properties of the steels produced by powder metallurgy. The granulometric analysis and the scanning electron microscopy were used in the characterization and identification of the particle size. Results indicated that the milling with the addition of carbides showed a higher efficiency in the milling process. The particle size obtained with the addition of TiC and NbC in the milling of UNS S 31803 steel chips was 98 and 85 times smaller than the original chip.