Effect of Cr3C2 and VC on the Mechanical and Structural Properties of Sintered WC-%10wt Co Nano Powders

Copyright © 2013 Morteza Mahmoodan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The effect of addition of metallic carbides Cr3C2 and Cr3C2 + VC on structure and mechanical properties of WC-%10wt Co nanocomposites have been studied. After preparing and compacting of the powders under pressure of 200 MPa, the samples were sintered at temperatures of 1370˚C, 1410˚C and 1450˚C for 1 hour. Microstructural examinations by SEM show that the average grain size obtained for Cr3C2 + VC added alloys reduced 50 percent and also grain size distribu-tion was narrower compared to those samples without grain growth inhibitors. Furthermore, co-addition of Cr3C2 and VC rise to a higher Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of the sintered alloys at 1410˚C