Articles - Fabrication and mechanical properties of WC-10 wt.% Co hard materials for a friction stir welding tool application by a spark plasma sintering process
- Hyun-Kuk Parka,b, Hee-Jun Youna, Jung-Han Ryua, Hyeon-Taek Sona, Hee-Seon Bangc, In-Jin Shonb and Ik-Hyun Oha,*
- a Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), Automotive Components Group, 1110-9 Oryong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwang-Ju, 500-480 Korea b Division of Advanced Materials Engineering and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Chonbuk National University, 664-14 Deokjin-dong 1-ga, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Korea c Department of Naval Architecture and Ocen Engineering, Chosun University, 375, Seosuk-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, 501-759, Korea
Abstract
Using the spark plasma sintering process (SPS process), WC-10 wt.%Co hard materials were densified using an ultra fine WC-Co powder. The WC-Co was almost completely dense with a relative density of up to 100% after the simultaneous application of a pressure of 60 MPa and an electric current for 12 minutes almost without any significant change in the grain size. The average grain size of WC that was produced through SPS was about 0.5~0.7 μm. The hardness and fracture toughness at 1200 ο C were about 2068.38 kg/mm2 and 10.21 MPam1/2, respectively. The WC-10 wt.%Co sintered-body was used to give shape to a concave-styled Friction stir weld (FSW) tool. This tool was used to successfully weld mild steel by FSW (SS400). The mechanical properties (micro-hardness, tensile strength, and impact toughness) of the welded mild steel were investigated.
Keywords: Spark plasma sintering method, WC-Co, SS400, Friction stir welding, Mechanical property
This Article
Copyright 2019 International Orgranization for Ceramic Processing. All rights reserved.Clean-Energy Research Institute(CRI), Hanyang University, 222, Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, Korea
E-mail: jcpr@hanyang.ac.kr