Principles and Latest Developments in the Field of Metallic and Nonmetallic Hard Materials

A survey of some fundamental aspects of the theory of hardness is followed by a discussion of recent developments in the field of sintered hard metal alloys. For example, good results have been obtained by the addition of hafnium carbide to hard metals. Niobium carbide can sometimes replace the more expensive tantalum carbide; vanadium carbide can be used to inhibit grain growth, especially in the case of ultrafine carbides. A brief outline is given of the results of investigations on ternary and quaternary systems with the components TiC, HfC, NbC, TaC, and WC. The utilization of sintered nitride and carbonitride hard metals in the field of machining appears feasible. Recently developed high‐pressure/high‐temperature autoclaves permit work on nitride systems under a high nitrogen pressure. The authors comment on the latest work in the field of non‐metallic hard materials and on diamond synthesis.