The Role of the Binder Phase in the WC-Co Sintering

The sintering of hardmetal in the solid state is studied. The influence of the WC particle size on the sintering kinetics, the role of the binder phase in the densification process and how sintering depends on the heating conditions are investigated. It is observed that alloys with different WC particle size show quite different structural evolution during sintering, although the densification mechanisms are the same. This is explained by the formation of agglomerates of WC and Co. Hardmetal alloys can sinter very rapidly when high heating rates are used, since rapid heating accelerates the binder spreading and the formation of WC-Co agglomerates. The binder phase (Co) spreads on the WC particles initially as a thin layer. Subsequently, more Co spreads on this layer and WC-Co agglomerates are formed.