Characterization Investigations of Mechanically Alloyed and Sintered W- 8 wt% VC-x wt% TiC- 1 wt% C (x=0, 2) Composites

Abstract

Mechanical alloying (MA) processes were carried out in a Spex mixer/mill to synthesize W-8 wt% VC-x wt% TiC-C (x=0, 2) powders for 1
hour and 9 hours in argon atmosphere. Effects of milling duration and TiC addition on W-8 wt% VC-x wt% TiC-C (x=0, 2) composite powders
and sintered samples were investigated. W-based composite powders were characterized with a combination of SEM and XRD analyses. MA’d
powders were consolidated into green compacts by uniaxial cold press under 500 MPa. Then MA’d powders sintered at 1750˚C under hydrogen
and argon atmospheres for 1h. The microstructural and mechanical characterizations of the sintered samples were carried out by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Density measurements
and hardness measurements of the sintered samples were also determined.