Nanocrystalline cemented carbides sintered by the pulse plasma method

Nanocrystalline WC-12 wt.% Co was consolidated by the pulse plasma sintering (PPS) method at various temperatures between 900 and 1200 °C under a pressure of 60 MPa for 5 min. The cemented carbides sintered at 1100 °C have a relative density of 99%, hardness of 2250 HV30, KIC = 15.3 MPa m1/2, and WC crystallite size of about 50 nm. An increase of the sintering temperature to 1200 °C results in the increase of the WC crystallite size to about 110 nm, the hardness being decreased to 2200 HV30, and KIC being decreased to 11.9 MPa1/2.