What does the free carbon of titanium carbide refer to and how does it affect the physical properties of titanium based alloys?

Free carbon (F.C) refers to the carbon atoms that exist freely in metal materials, known as free carbon. These carbon atoms have high reactivity and can easily react with surrounding atoms, thereby affecting the surrounding environment.

The physical properties of titanium carbide alloys usually depend on the bonding dosage, carbon content, and carbide particle size. Due to the unique nature of titanium carbide alloys, an appropriate amount of free carbon (≤ 0.6%) can better improve the strength, hardness, and impact resistance of the alloy. If the free carbon content is higher than 0.6%, it will directly lead to lower strength and poor wear resistance of titanium carbide alloy.

However, some manufacturers produce titanium carbide alloys with a free carbon content of ≤ 0.3%, overly pursuing activated carbon, resulting in poor impact resistance of titanium carbide alloy products and becoming more brittle, resulting in a shorter service life of alloy products. In short, high-quality materials play an extremely important role in production and manufacturing.