The Effect of Tungsten Nanoparticles on the Hardness of Sintered Sn-Cu-Co-W Alloys

Abstract

The effect of tungsten nanoparticles and microparticles on the structure and hardness of sintered Sn–Cu–Co–W alloys has been studied. Tungsten powder of 19–24 μm sized particles was milled in a planetary-centrifugal mill, after which the size of particles was 25 nm to 20 μm. The milled and non-milled tungsten was then mixed with powders of tin, copper and cobalt. The specimens were compacted in moulds and sintered in vacuum at 820°C for 20 minutes. The structure of sintered materials was studied using X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Microhardness (HV0.01) of structural constituents and hardness of the materials were measured. It has been determined that it is alloys containing mechanically milled tungsten that have the highest hardness. The main factor influencing the rise of hardness is dispersion hardening with nanoparticles. A further factor is work hardening of tungsten microparticles during ball milling. The highest hardness of 109–111 HRB has been obtained in the Sn–Cu–Co–W alloy containing 23% wt. of milled tungsten, with the proportion of tin, copper and cobalt being 1/2.6/1.6.