In situ observations of the densification behaviour of WC-FeAl-B composites during liquid phase sintering

Authors

M Ahmadian, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
Mark H. Reid, BHP Steel InstituteFollow
Rian J. Dippenaar, University of WollongongFollow
Tara Chandra, University of WollongongFollow
David Wexler, University of WollongongFollow
Andrzej Calka, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

33235

Publication Details

Ahmadian, M., Reid, M., Dippenaar, R. J., Chandra, T., Wexler, D. & Calka, A. (2010). In situ observations of the densification behaviour of WC-FeAl-B composites during liquid phase sintering. In Thermec 2009, August 25-29, Berlin, Germany. Materials Science Forum, 638-642 921-926.

Abstract

The densification behavior of WC composites based on iron aluminide binder was investigated using laser scanning confocal mi¬croscopy (LSCM). Doped Fe60Al40 alloys with boron levels ranging from 0 to 0.1 wt% were used as the aluminide binders. The aluminide binders were prepared using controlled atmosphere ring grinding and then blended with WC powder. The composite powder compacted in an alumina crucible and held in a platinum holder in the confocal microscope. The temperature increased from ambient temperature up to 1500 °C under high purity argon. The presence of boron was found to facilitate compaction of the composites and improve the wetting between WC and FeAl binder during liquid phase sintering. Increasing the amount of boron in the binder resulted in the melting of binder at lower temperature and increasing of the compacting of the intermetallic tungsten carbide composites.