A novel approach to fabricate WC reinforced W-Cu composites via MSC and infiltration method

作者：Xu, Dang; Wei, Bangzheng; Chen, Ruizhi; Zhou, Rui; Yang, Jian; Chen, Pengqi^*; Cheng, Jigui^*

来源：INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REFRACTORY METALS & HARD MATERIALS, 2023, 111: 106100.

DOI：10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2022.106100

• W-Cu composites
• WC@W core-shell structure
• MSC
• Infiltration
• Wear resistance

WC reinforced W-Cu composites have excellent wear resistance and high-temperature strength, and can replace conventional W-Cu composites in special applications. In this work, W-Cu composites with WC@W core-shell structure are fabricated through a novel microwave-heating salt-bath carbonization (MSC) and infiltration method, using graphite as the carbon source. The MSC behavior of W particles and the influence of the graphite content on the microstructure and properties of the W-Cu composites are investigated. The results show that WC is successfully coated on the surface of W particles by the MSC method. The addition of an appropriate amount of graphite to W powders can improve the high-temperature mechanical properties and wear resistance of the W-Cu composites. Compared with conventional W-Cu composites, the W-Cu composites with 0.9 wt% graphite have higher thermal conductivity (245 W/(m center dot K)), higher hardness (293.8 HV), higher bending strength (1089.4 MPa), and higher compressive strength (410 MPa|600 degrees C). The addition of graphite also significantly improved the wear resistance of the W-Cu composites. The average coefficient of friction (CoF) and wear rates (WR) of WCu9 composites are 0.51 and 5.37 x 10(-6) mm(3) N-1 m(-1), respectively. The WC reinforced W-Cu composites prepared in this work provide an excellent approach to improve the wear resistance and high-temperature properties of guide plates in guide devices.