Synthesis and Sintering of Tungsten and Titanium Carbide: A Parametric Study

Abstract

The three primary steps in the production of tungsten carbide WC and titanium carbide TiC powders are the preparation of the green mixture, carbidization by furnace annealing, and ball milling of the annealed products. This work performed a comprehensive parametric investigation of these three steps. The impact of several factors was examined including the carbon precursor, the mass and diameter of the milling bodies (balls), the milling time and speed, the temperature and length of the annealing process, the height of the powder in the furnace boats, and the rate at which the furnace boats move. Regression models for every stage of the process were verified by 10-fold validation and used to optimize the synthesis sequence, resulting in high-quality WC and TiC with a grain size below 2 microns and a content of free carbon below 0.1%. Additionally, solid solution (W,Ti)C was fabricated by mechanochemical synthesis from the elemental mixtures; however, further modification of this technique is necessary because of the observed relatively high concentration of residual free carbon (0.2–0.8%) and contamination by Fe.

Integrating Grey Relation Analysis and Artificial Neural Networks for Optimal Machining of Tungsten Carbide Composite Using Hybrid Electrochemical Discharge

“…Their high levels of hardness and strength are one of their defining characteristics [16]. Tungsten carbide (WC) and its composites find numerous industrial applications, such as wear-resistant parts in hot rolling mills and drawing dies, mining and cutting tools, precise drilling tips, and sandblast nozzles [5]. This study chose tungsten carbide inserts as the workpiece material, representing this challenging material due to their exceptional hardness and toughness.…”

“…Tungsten carbide (WC) and its composites have widespread applications in the industrial world [5]. The problem arises from the inherent challenges associated with machining tungsten carbide, a material renowned for its distinctive chemical and physical properties and exceptionally high melting point of 2,870 degrees Celsius [6].…”

Obtaining fine-grained hard alloys homogeneous in carbide grain

“…Гомогенизация твердых сплавов происходит значительно быстрее, если имеет место образование жидкой фазы. Причем в работе [8,9] предлагается представлять процессы консолидации двухкарбидных твердых сплавов следующим образом, с ростом температуры образуются пары металлов и неметаллов, которые фокусируют экзотермическую реакцию образования твердых соединений с очень высокой скоростью. Консолидация образующихся твердых соединений достигается при повышении температуры вплоть до температур плавления [10].…”