Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May 17;14(10):2618.
doi: 10.3390/ma14102618.

Properties of WCCo Composites Produced by the SPS Method Intended for Cutting Tools for Machining of Wood-Based Materials

Joanna Wachowicz  1 , Tomasz Dembiczak  2 , Grzegorz Stradomski  3 , Zbigniew Bałaga  3 , Marcin Dyner  2 , Jacek Wilkowski  1
Affiliations

Properties of WCCo Composites Produced by the SPS Method Intended for Cutting Tools for Machining of Wood-Based Materials

Joanna Wachowicz et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

This paper presents the possibility of using the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) method to obtain WCCo composite materials. Such materials are used as cutting blades for machining wood-based materials. Two series of composites, different in grain size and cobalt content, were analyzed in the paper. The produced materials were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and tribological properties were determined. In addition, preliminary tests were carried out on the durability of the blades made of sintered WCCo composites while machining three-layer chipboard. The results of the microstructure analysis proved that the SPS method makes it possible to obtain solid composites. Phase analysis showed the occurrence of the following phases: WC, Co, and Co3W9C4. The lowest friction coefficient value was found in samples sintered using powder with an average primary particle size of 400 nm (ultrafine).

Keywords: Spark Plasma Sintering; cemented carbides WCCo; powder metallurgy; sintering.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SEM images of powders used to prepare sinters: (a) primary particle size of WC about 1 μm (submicron); (b) primary particle size of WC approx. 400 nm (ultrafine).
Figure 2
Figure 2
SPS cycle.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Two-blade cutter.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Three-layer chipboard.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Microstructures of the composites: (a) submicron, (b) ultrafine, (c) commercial.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Diffraction analysis of the composites studied.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Loss of mass during tribological tests after 20 cycles for sintered micro-powder at 5 N load.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Loss of mass during tribological tests after 30 cycles for sintered WCCo made of ultrafine with 5 N load.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Loss of mass during tribological testing after 20 cycles for a commercial WCCo sintered cutting insert at 5 N.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Example wear curves of the tested blades.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Wear types of tested blades (a) chipping (b) abrasion.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Sommer M., Schubert W.D., Zobetz E., Warbichler P. On the formation of very large WC crystals during sintering of ultrafine WC–Co alloys. Int. J. Refract. Met. Hard Mater. 2002;20:41–50. doi: 10.1016/S0263-4368(01)00069-5. - DOI
    1. Ban Z.G., Shaw L.L. Synthesis and processing of nanostructured WC-Co materials. J. Mater. Sci. 2002;37:3397–3403. doi: 10.1023/A:1016553426227. - DOI
    1. Kim H.C., Oh D.Y., Shon I.J. Sintering of nanophase WC–15vol.% Co hard metals by rapid sintering process. Int. J. Refract. Met. Hard Mater. 2004;22:197–203. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2004.06.006. - DOI
    1. Raihanuzzaman R.M., Han S.T., Ghomashchi R., Kim H.S., Hong S.J. Conventional sintering of WC with nano-sized Co binder: Characterization and mechanical behavior. Int. J. Refract. Met. Hard Mater. 2015;53:2–6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2015.04.033. - DOI
    1. Emanuelli L., Molinari A., Arrighetti G., Garoli G.T. Dependence of the Mechanical Properties on the Microstructural Parameters of WC-Co. Powder Metall. Prog. 2019;19:23–33. doi: 10.1515/pmp-2019-0003. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources