TY  - JOUR
T2  - Journal of Mining and Metallurgy, Section B: Metallurgy
TI  - Wear properties of Ni addition to Nb-V micro alloyed PM steels in dry and corrosive environment
VL  - 62
IS  - 2
SP  - 211
EP  - 228
PY  - 2026
DA  - 07 July 2026
DO  - 10.2298/JMMB250827016A
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2298/JMMB250827016A
AU  - Ahssi, Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed
AU  - Çug, Harun
AU  - Güney, Bekir
AU  - Erden, Mehmet Akif
AU  - Acarer, Mustafa
AD  - a Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey; b Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University, Karaman, Turkey; c Selcuk University, Konya , Turkey;
AB  - The present study examines the influence of nickel addition on the microstructural evolution, phase formation, hardness, and wear performance of Nb–V microalloyed powder metallurgy (PM) steels under both dry and corrosive sliding conditions. A series of Fe–C–Nb–V alloys containing 0–30 wt.% Ni were produced via powder metallurgy by compacting mixed powders under high pressure followed by sintering at 1400 °C in an argon atmosphere. The resulting materials were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), density measurements, and microhardness testing. Tribological performance was evaluated through reciprocating wear tests under applied loads of 15 and 30 N in dry and 3.5 wt.% NaCl environments. The results revealed that the combined addition of Nb and V promoted grain refinement through the formation of carbide and carbonitride precipitates, resulting in enhanced hardness and wear resistance compared with unalloyed steel. Nickel addition further modified the microstructure and phase constitution, leading to the formation of bainitic, martensitic, and austenitic regions depending on the Ni content. Wear resistance improved progressively with increasing nickel concentration up to 13 wt.%, where the optimum combination of hardness and tribological performance was obtained. The alloy containing 13 wt.% Ni exhibited the highest hardness and the lowest material loss under both testing environments. However, excessive nickel additions (>13 wt.%) promoted microstructural heterogeneity and increased porosity, causing a decline in hardness and wear resistance. XRD analyses confirmed the presence of carbide phases such as Fe3C and NbC together with Fe-Ni intermetallic compounds, which contributed to the observed strengthening mechanisms. These findings demonstrate that a controlled nickel addition, in combination with Nb–V microalloying, provides an effective strategy for optimizing the microstructure and wear performance of PM steels intended for applications requiring enhanced durability in both dry and corrosive service conditions.
KW  - Micro alloyed steel
KW  - Powder metallurgy
KW  - Nickel addition
KW  - Microstructure
KW  - Wear properties
KW  - Dry and corrosive environments
N1  - Correspondence Address: Bekir Güney; Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University, Karaman, Turkey; email: guneyb@kmu.edu.tr
N1  - J. Min. Metall. Sect. B-Metall., 62 (2) (2026) 211-228. doi:10.2298/JMMB250827016A
PB  - Technical Faculty in Bor
SN  - 1450-5339 (ISSN)
LA  - English
J2  - J. Min. Metall. Sect. B Metall.
M3  - Article
ER  -