Preparation of W-Cu alloy with high density and ultrafine grains by mechanical alloying and high pressure sintering

•W-Cu alloy with high density and ultra-fine W grains was obtained.•The nanostructured W-Cu powders were obtained after 40 h milling.•The effects of temperature and pressure on the density of W-Cu alloy were studied.•The densification behavior of NS MA W-Cu powders during HPS was discussed.

W-20 wt%Cu alloy, with a high sintering density of 99.2% theoretical density (%TD), ultrafine grain size of 500 nm, and hardness of 310 HV, was fabricated by mechanical alloying and high pressure sintering (HPS). The changes of morphology and structural evolution of W-Cu powders during mechanical alloying process were observed and studied, and the effects of temperature and pressure on the density of sintered compacts were studied. Results showed that nanostructured (NS) mechanical alloyed (MA) W-Cu powders were obtained after a 40 h milling at a milling speed of 400 rpm, and the W-Cu alloy had nanocrystalline structure and shape retention with nearly full densification when the HPS of NS MA W-Cu powders was carried out at 1050 °C with a pressure of 40 MPa. The densification behavior of NS MA W-Cu powders during HPS was also studied, including a nanosintering within the MA powders during heating and a global rearrangement and sintering when an external pressure was applied.