Sintering and Characterizations of WC-20wt.% (Fe,Co) Nano-Structured Powders Developed by Ball-Milling

The aim of the present work is to study the effects of the nanostructured wc-20 wt. % (fe,co) with different ratios of iron to cobalt on the microstructure and hardness of sintered samples. furthermore, a sample with a cobalt binder under the same condition was produced for the comparison purposes. the nanocomposite development, after different milling times, has been monitored by means of x-ray diffraction (xrd), scanning electron microscopy (sem), and transmission electron microscopy (tem). a homogenous distribution of nanostructured wc (crystallite size less than 30 nm) in the binder matrix was formed after 25 h milling. the hardness and the relative density of the wc-20wt. % (fe,co) composites consolidated by conventional sintering at 1350?c were investigated. in sintered samples after 25 h milling, tungsten carbide grains have a uniform distribution with a lower grain size. densification and hardness improved after 25 h milling and reached optimum levels for the 25 h milled powders with equal ratio of iron to cobalt.