The effects of B4C on the mechanical properties of WC/Ni-Si hardmetal were analyzed using sintered bod- ies comprising WC(70-x wt.%), Ni (28.5 wt.%), Si (1.5 wt.%), and B4C (x wt.%), where 0 x 1.2 wt.%. Samples were prepared by a combination of mechanical milling and liquid-phase sintering. Phase and microstructure character- izations were conducted using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe X-ray micro anal- ysis. The mechanical properties of the sintered bodies were evaluated by measuring their hardness and transverse rupture strength. The addition of B4C improved the sinterability of the hardmetals. With increasing B4C content, their hardness increased, but their transverse rupture strength decreased. The changes of sinterability and mechanical properties were attributed to the alloying reaction between B4C and the binder metal (Ni, Si). ≤ ≤

• 이길근(Department of Materials System Engineering, Pukyong National University) | Gil-Geun Lee Corresponding Author
• 하국현(Powder Technology Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science) | Gook-Hyun Ha