Effect of Sintering Process on Properties and Microstructure of WC-1.0TiC-3.1TaC-4.5Co Cemented Carbides

Abstract

A series of WC-1.0TiC-3.1TaC-4.5Co cemented carbides were prepared by vacuum sintering and Sintering-HIP through traditional powder metallurgy method. Optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the microstructures. The results show that pores and cobalt-lake can be reduced in cemented carbides by increasing sintering temperature or using Sintering-HIP. The mean size of WC cemented carbide prepared by vacuum sintering process is larger than that prepared by Sintering-HIP. Furthermore, the phenomenon of WC abnormal growth was found in the cemented carbides prepared by Sintering-HIP.

Keywords

• cemented carbide
• sintering process
• property
• microstructure