Tailoring the Microstructure and Properties of Reinforced FeMnAlC Composites by In-Situ TiB2–TiC–M2B Formation

In the present study, Ti and B were added to lightweight Fe–Mn–Al–C steels matrix with 0, 0.1, and 0.4 wt pct C in order to evaluate the in-situ formation of reinforcing particles and their influence on the properties. The compositions were tailored by thermodynamic calculations and experimentally validated. Both titanium and boron were introduced in stoichiometry proportions for TiB2 formation. The composites were processed by arc-melting followed by hot rolling and annealing. The experimental results showed that carbon plays a key role in the system since it leads to TiC and (Fe,Mn)2B formation and, consequently, reduction of the TiB2 fraction. The composite with the highest Ti, B, and C contents achieved the highest specific modulus value (29.5 GPa cm3 g−1), with a density and modulus of elasticity of 7.09 g cm−3 and 209.3 GPa, respectively.