Influence of visco-elastic binder properties on ram extrusion of a hardmetal paste.

The influence of the viscous and elastic components of a visco-elastic binder phase on the extrusion behaviour of a tungsten carbide-cobalt hardmetal paste was investigated by studying the paste over a range of temperatures, 30-42 °C, where the binder changed from a semi-solid gel to a viscous liquid. The extrusion behaviour of the paste was studied by ram extrusion and quantified by the Benbow-Bridgwater (BB) method. The elastic and viscous components of the binder were studied separately by means of oscillatory and steady shear techniques in a controlled stress rheometer using rough parallel plates. The paste behaviour fitted the four parameter BB model well: the initial bulk yield stress parameter, σ, increased linearly with the binder elastic modulus, G′, while both the velocity dependence parameters α and β were linearly related to the binder steady shear viscosity. Analysis of paste-wall slip parameters gave estimated slip layer thicknesses of 2-5 particle diameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]