Heat Treatment of Nanostructured Powders Obtained by Spark Erosion of WC-8Co Cemented Carbide in Oil

Abstract

Spark erosion of WC-8Co carbide pieces in oil resulted in a powder consisting of nanostructured spherical microparticles formed by rapid crystallization of the melt. These particles consist of rounded WC grains with an average diameter of about 0.18 μm, surrounded by cobalt. The process productivity, specific energy consumption, microstructure, particle size distribution, chemical and phase compositions of the obtained powder are determined. It was found that as a result of oil pyrolysis, free carbon is formed (3.4 %), which makes this powder unsuitable for the production of carbide products from it. A technique has been developed and the process of controlled removal of excess carbon by annealing the obtained powder in a CO2 atmosphere at a temperature of 1000 °C has been studied. As a result of annealing for 120 minutes, the carbon content decreases to the required value (5.6 %). Studies of the phase composition and microstructure showed that the obtained particles consist of elongated WC grains, the average diameter of which increased to 0.43 μm.