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2017
Conference Paper
Title
Carbide-oxide composites made from nanoscaled tungsten carbide, alumina and zirconia powders
Abstract
Cemented carbides are traditionally composites of WC and Co. For applications where a very high hardness is needed grades with a very low Co content or even Co free, so called binderless hardmetals are used. Price and high density of WC are motives for the idea of a partial substitution of WC and/or Co with oxides such as Al2O3 or ZrO2. Furthermore, the low sintering temperature of these oxides and their nontoxic behavior are interesting for lowering production costs as well as reducing health risks. Within this study different composites of WC with Al2O3 and ZrO2 were produced by conventional press and sinter techniques. The results show a strong influence of oxide content on hardness as well as promising mechanical properties such as a maximum hardness of 2430 HV10 and a maximum fracture toughness of 7.3 MPam1/2 for a composite of WC with 16 vol% Al2O3. Possible applications include wear parts (e.g. water jet nozzles) or cutting tools (e.g. for wood).