Gerold Weinl

Effect of Ta on structure and mechanical properties of (Ti,Ta,W)(C,N)–Co cermets

Abstract The effect of Ta on the structure and mechanical properties of (Ti,Ta,W)(C,N)–Co cermets was investigated. A series of alloys of varying nominal composition were manufactured following normal powder metallurgical procedures. The alloys were characterized and their performance in metal cutting was evaluated. It was found that Ta enhances the resistance to plastic deformation (PD) of this system. By combining sets of alloys, several explanations for this enhancement could be eliminated. Plastic deformation was found to be caused by grain boundary sliding. Ta is believed to influence the interfacial energies of the system, yielding a stronger hard phase skeleton, which restricts grain boundary sliding.

Microstructure of the surface zone in a heat-treated cermet material

Abstract The microstructure of a Ti(C, N)-(Ti, W)(C, N)-(Ti, Ta)(C, N)-WC-Mo 2 C-Co cermet with a heat-treatment induced surface gradient has been studied. The post-sintering heat-treatment was performed at 1200 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere and the resulting microstructure was compared to that of the as-sintered material. The microstructures were characterised with optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, electron energy-loss spectroscopy and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy. It was found that a 50-μm deep nitrogen-rich surface zone was introduced by the heat treatment. η-phase was observed in the surface zone. The nitrogen gradient caused diffusion of titanium towards the surface, thereby forcing the cobalt-rich binder to be transported inwards. The composition of the binder phase and outer rim of the carbonitride grains showed only minor changes with depth. The variations in binder composition may be a direct consequence of the heat treatment, but are also likely to be influenced by the formation of η-phase. A nitrogen-rich phase was present in the surface zone of the heat-treated material both as thin layers (≈ 70 nm) surrounding the carbonitride grains and as small parts of some carbonitride grains. In addition, the Ti(C, N) cores in the surface region were found to have different N/(C + N) ratios.