APPLICATION OF AN IRON-BASE ALLOY FOR POWDER METALLURGICAL PRODUCTION OF PARTS WITH HIGH CORROSION RESISTANCE HIGH RESISTANCE TO WEAR AS WELL AS HIGH STRENGTH AND RESISTANCE TO PRESSURE, IN PARTICULAR IN THE PROCESSING OF PLASTICS

Use of an iron-based alloy for the production of sintered parts of high corrosion resistance, high wear resistance, high toughness and high compressive strength, in particular for processing plastics, having a composition, in % by weight, chromium 16.0-29.0, molybdenum 0.4-2.5, tungsten 0.3-2.0, vanadium 3.0-10.0, titanium up to 5.0, aluminium up to 1.0, boron up to 0.05, nitrogen 0.01-0.18, niobium up to 5.0, iron and preparation-related impurities as the remainder, the value formed from (% of Cr - 13) + 4.4 x (% of V - 3) + 2 x (% of Nb) + 4.2 x (% of Ti) being greater than 8.8, and the minimum carbon content of the alloy corresponding to the correlation Cmin = 0.3 + [(% of Cr - 13) x 0.06] + [(2 x % of Mo + W) x 0.03] + (% of V x 0.24) + (% of Nb x 0.13) + (% of Ti x 0.25) and the maximum carbon content of the alloy corresponds to the correlation Cmax = 0.7 + [(% of Cr - 13) x 0.06] + [(2 x % of Mo + W) x 0.03] + (% of V x 0.24) + (% of Nb x 0.13) + (% of Ti x 0.25), with the proviso that the matrix has a chromium content of at least 13% after hardening and annealing, and the carbide content is at least 25% by volume, the carbide grain size being less than 14 mu m and at least 5 % by volume of the carbides being in the form of MC carbides.