Mechanical properties and rapid consolidation of binderless niobium carbide

The rapid sintering of NbC hard materials in a short time was investigated with a focus on the manufacturing potential of the high-frequency induction-heating sintering process. The advantage of this process is that it allows for very quick densification to near theoretical density. A dense pure NbC hard material with a relative density of up to 98% was produced within 2 min from heating sample by the simultaneous application of a pressure of 80 MPa and an induced current corresponding to 70% of the total output powder capacity (15 W). The finer the initial NbC powder size, the higher the density and the better the mechanical properties. The fracture toughness and hardness values obtained were 7.0 MPa m(1/2) and 2200 kg/mm(2), respectively. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.