Hadfield steel is attractive for different applications, especially in cement, railways, and mining industries, due to its specific properties. Nevertheless, it suffers from low hardness and short life service under abrasive environments. The main purpose of this research work is to fabricate a new metal matrix composite (MMC) by reinforcing Hadfield steel with TiC and TiB2 particles. In this work, the ceramic reinforcement phases, TiC and TiB2, were successfully manufactured. The synergistic effect of the elevated hardness of these particles combined with the remarkable ductility of Hadfield steel renders the MMC a highly promising material for applications involving abrasive wear.

During this work, a comprehensive analysis of the microstructure was conducted, focusing on the size and dispersion of the reinforcements. Microstructural characterization shows a relatively uniform distribution of the reinforcing phases TiC and TiB2 in the Hadfield steel matrix. Furthermore, microhardness measurement and wear tests were conducted to assess the mechanical characteristics of the developed composites. The results show that the mechanical properties of the composites are improved compared with those of the unreinforced Hadfield steel.