But forewarned is better than not. Up to now we have been discussing Chromium Carbides. In this edition, I would like to extend our discussion to Complex Chromium Carbides. If you will recall, I spoke at length in a previous newsletter, that Carbon is very fickle. It likes to marry any number of suitors.
Carbon is polygamous.
While Chromium is probably the most popular and the least expensive element to form a Carbide, it does not have exclusivity. In other words, any number of atoms of Chromium can be replaced in a Chromium Carbide with any one of the suitors. This changes the Carbide characteristics and can sometimes increase wear resistance. In addition to combining with the an existing Chromium atom in the Carbide, more importantly it will form its own Carbide. For example, additions of Molybdenum to a Chromium Carbide Iron Base Alloy will form Molybdenum Carbide, a very hard and high temperature resistant Carbide.