Sintering Of High Binder Content Hardmetals Containing Cr And Mo

WC-Co compositions remain the prevailing combination of hard phase and binder in hardmetals. Both tungsten and cobalt are classified as critical raw materials by the European Commission due to geopolitical tensions and limited availability. Despite the unprecedented success of these materials, issues such as Co susceptibility to dissolution in acidic environments prompt the development of alternative binders, for example, with increased corrosion resistance. In this work, coarse-gained hardmetals with 18 wt.% of Co-based and Co-free binders, namely CoNiCr and NiCrMo, were prepared by powder metallurgy and extensively characterized, to evaluate the effect of the partial or complete cobalt substitution in the microstructure and mechanical properties. The new materials were studied using equilibrium thermodynamics (FactSage) and experimental validation, through dilatometric experiments.