Influence of aqueous milling duration on the sintered WC-10Co hard metal powders.

This paper presents the effects of aqueous processing of WC-Co powders on their sinterability and mechanical properties. WC-Co powders have been milled in aqueous media (distilled water + corrosion inhibitor). The as-milled samples have been compacted and sintered in vacuum at 1380 °C. The investigations performed on the two components, carbide and binder, reveal different oxidation behaviour in water, with a further effect on the properties of the sintered product. The decrease of the saturation magnetisation of the compacts corroborated with the microstructure reveals the oxidation of the samples milled for a longer duration. The magnetic properties, hardness and microstructure suggest that the used corrosion inhibitor is effective for short milling durations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]