Advanced W-HfC cermet using in-situ powder and spark plasma sintering

In this paper we present the production of W-30 vol.% HfC powder using an in situ synthesis method. The in situ powder was also sintered by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) process and the microstructure and properties of the bulk sample were compared with those of a sample prepared from a conventional PM method. The in situ method was found to offer a uniform HfC dispersion and good sinterability along with better physical and mechanical properties than samples obtained from a conventional PM method. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.