Spark plasma sintering of fine-grained WC hard alloys with ultra-low cobalt content

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The results of investigations of spark plasma sintering (SPS) kinetics of tungsten carbide nanopowders with different Co content (0.3, 0.6, and 1.0 wt%) and graphite (0.3 and 0.5 wt%) are described. The α-WC nanopowders were obtained by direct current (DC) arc plasma synthesis followed by annealing in hydrogen. Ultrathin Co layers were deposited onto the nanoparticles by a chemical-metallurgical method from a salt solution. The excess carbon was introduced by mixing the WC-Co powders with graphite that resulted in the increase of the oxygen concentration. The carbonization of the tungsten carbide hard alloy specimens was demonstrated to take place in SPS. It resulted in different phase compositions, along with hardness within surface and central layers of sintered ceramic specimens. The effects of the initial particle size, of the Co concentration, and of the graphite one on the stages of the SPS of the ultra-low Co hard alloys were studied. The specimens with uniform fine-grained structure, increased density, and improved mechanical characteristics were obtained. The hardness Hv for WC-0.6%Co-0.3%C hard alloy with averaged grain size 1.0–1.5 μm was 20.2–20.5 GPa at the minimum fracture toughness coefficient KIC = 9.2–10.4 MPa m1/2.