Microstructure and compressive properties of V–V8C7/Fe core-shell rod-reinforced iron-based composite fabricated via two-step in-situ reaction

To enhance the strength of iron-based alloys, a novel vanadium-vanadium carbide/iron (V–V8C7/Fe) core-shell rod-reinforced iron-based composite is designed and prepared via a two-step in-situ reaction at 1150 °C × 5 min +1100 °C × (4, 6, 8, 10 h). The V–V8C7/Fe core-shell rod consists of a ductile V-core and a gradient-structured V8C7/Fe-shell. The phases of the composite are V, V2C, V8C7, α-Fe, and P-rich phases. When the ratio (K) of the...