Oscillatory pressure sintering of WC-Fe-Ni cemented carbides

WC-Fe-Ni cemented carbide was prepared by oscillatory pressure sintering (OPS) technique for the first time. Compared to HP, OPS can significantly improve densification and suppress grain growth of the material. The samples prepared by OPS exhibited higher hardness. The highest hardness obtained is > 19 GPa, much higher than those ever reported for the similar materials. The improvements in sintering and mechanical properties are likely due to that the oscillatory pressure enhanced particle rearrangement and plastic flow of the liquid binder phase, as well as generated defects. The results suggest that OPS is a very promising technique for preparing high performance cemented carbides.