Study of the mechanical and metallurgical properties of sintered steels for valve seat inserts application

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the valve seat insert (VSI) produced with three different alloys (mainly modified from the original AISI M3/2, M2 and D2 high-speed steels) from the mechanical and metallurgical point of view. These alloys modifications were intended as an alternative to replace cobalt and lead used in the original alloy due to their high cost and toxicological effect respectively. Such alloys have been developed for internal combustion engines VSI manufacture. The VSI studied in this work was previously produced by the powder metallurgy (P/M) route. The VSI production was performed using a uniaxial hydraulic press and a belt conveyor furnace. The VSI was submitted to metallic infiltration during the sintering process using copper as filler. The studies were performed according to standardized apparent density (ASTM C 373-88), apparent hardness (ASTM E 92-82) and radial crush strength (MPIF Standard 35) tests. The VSI produced with M3/2 alloy proved to be more advantageous considering the highest values obtained in the apparent hardness and radial crush strength tests.