Activated sintering of W-HfC composite materials

The features of consolidation of the particles during the activated sintering of tungsten powders with different values of dispersity (d (av) = 2-3 and 0.8-1.0 mu m) are investigated. Sintering was activated by introducing nickel additives (up to 0.5 wt %), tungsten nanoparticles (up to 30 wt %), and finely dispersed hafnium carbide (5-30 vol %) with subsequent milling in a vibrating mill. The uniaxial compaction of the samples has been performed under pressures from 50 to 1000 MPa, and sintering was performed in vacuum at 1850A degrees C with holding for 1 h. It is shown that the additives of tungsten carbide increase the density of sintered billets and, in combination with dispersed hafnium carbide, tungsten-based composite materials with a grain size up to 2 mu m can be obtained.