New Wear Resistant Iron-Base Matrix Materials For The Fabrication Of Sintered Diamond Tools

The possibility of the use of inexpensive iron-base powders in the production of sintered diamond tools is again explored. Ball-milled Fe-Ni-Cu-Sn-C and Fe-Mn-Cu-Sn-C powders were consolidated to a virtually pore-free condition by hot pressing at 900°C. The resultant materials are characterised by a combination of high Knoop hardness, 260-440 and yield strength, 780-1350 MPa, and resistance to abrasion. These properties can be significantly modified by changing the milling time.