Phase Reactions During Sintering of M3/2 Based Composites with WC Additions

Attempts have been made to describe the influence of WC additions on properties of M3/2 high speed steel (HSS) based composites. The powder compositions used to produce skeletons for further infiltration were M3/2, M3/2+10%WC and M3/2+30%WC. The powders were cold pressed at 800 MPa. The green compacts were subsequently sintered for 60 minutes at 1150°C in vacuum. These as-sintered specimens were used for copper infiltration. A qualitative EDX analysis revealed presence of both MC type vanadium-rich carbides and M6C type tungsten and iron rich carbides. In specimens containing 10 and 30% WC the carbide phase was uniformly distributed within copper-rich regions. The WC monocarbide reacts with the surrounding HSS matrix and forms a carbide grain boundary film. The microstructural observations of the as-sintered specimens was followed by Brinell hardness test and supplemented with dilatometric studies.