Activated sintering of premixed and coated W-Cu alloys

The present study investigates the various sintering aspects of tungsten-copper alloys sintered at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1400degreesC. The addition of various transition elements such as Ni, Co and Fe on the activation of sintering kinetics has also been examined. The tungsten-copper alloys containing 10, 25 and 40 wt % copper were prepared by two different routes, namely mechanical mixing and chemical coating procedure. Due to lack of solubility of tungsten in copper, it is difficult to achieve full density in W-Cu compacts with starting W powder size greater than 4 gin even in liquid phase sintering. The role of transition elements in enhancing,the densification during solid-state as well as liquid-phase sintering has been critically evaluated vis a vis the solubility effects. The sintering response was evaluated by quantifying the densification, hardness, and electrical conductivity in W-Cu compacts.