Fabrication and Properties of TiC Steel-Bonded Cemented Carbide Using TiC–Ni Composite Powders Synthesized by SHS

Abstract

TiC–Ni composite powders, exhibiting a microstructure in which Ni surrounds TiC particles, were synthesized from the reaction powder mixtures of titanium, carbon black and nickel by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis(SHS). Subsequently, TiC stainless steel-bonded cemented carbide was fabricated using the as-synthesized TiC–Ni composite powders by conventional powder metallurgy (PM). The effects of ball milling time on the characterization of TiC–Ni composite powders were investigated, along with the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the cemented carbide. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and laser particle size analysis(LPSA) were used to characterize the initial reactant mixtures, the synthesized TiC–Ni composite powders, and the final sintered cemented carbide. The density, hardness, and transverse rupture strength (TRS) of the cemented carbide were analyzed. The corrosion resistance of the cemented carbide was evaluated by the immersion test. The results showed that the desired TiC–Ni composite powders can be obtained when the ball milling time of the reactants in the SHS process is more than 9 hours. Compared to the TiC powder synthesized by carbothermal reduction, the cemented carbide fabricated using TiC–Ni composite powders synthesized by SHS exhibited enhanced mechanical properties with a relative density of 99.9%, hardness of 86.2HRA, and TRS of 1650MPa. However, its corrosion resistance was slightly lower than that of 316L stainless steel.