Synthesis Oxide Dispersion Strengthening Stainless Steel doped with Nano Zirconia by Mechanical Alloying

The oxide dispersion strengthening stainless steel of Fe-11.5wt%Cr and Fe-11.5wt%Cr-1%ZrO₂ alloy by mechanical alloying method were synthesized by planetary ball milling. The methods employed for study were designing of Fe-11.5wt%Cr and Fe-11.5wt%Cr-1%ZrO₂ proportion of composition alloy which is plotted to Schaffler diagram to get ferritic/martensitic stainless steel. After MA the ODS powders were compaction with pressure 80kg/mm2 and followed by sintering at the temperature of 900,1000 and 1100º C under high purity argon atmosphere for 1 hour. Characterization by XRD is used to examination phase present. Optical microscopy and SEM is used to get image microstructures. XRD analysis resulting the ferritic and martensitic is a major and minor phase respectively. There are not significant differences in the microstructure between Fe-11.5wt%Cr and Fe-11.5wt%Cr-1wt%ZrO_2. An increase in the sintering temperature shift the microstructure from dendritic to equaxed. EDS examination showed that zirconia exit in the alloy Fe-11.5wt%Cr-1wt%ZrO_2.The addition of 1 % nano-zirconia (ZrO₂) into Fe-Cr alloy while milling process was resulted a higher Hardness Vickers Values rather than without zirconia addition. Average value of Hardness Vickers values was resulted 135.5 HV for Fe-11.5wt%Cr whereas 138.4 HV for Fe-11.5wt%Cr-1wt%ZrO₂.