The consolidation results of fine tungsten powders, W-Cu composite and W/Cu FGM by using a novel method combining resistance sintering with ultra high pressure have been reviewed. The densification effects of the consolidation parameters, including pressure, input power and sintering time, have been investigated. The sintering mechanism of this method was quite different from other sintering methods. Particle rearrangement, sliding, distortion and crushing due to the ultra high pressure are the dominant mehanisms at the initial stage, then the dominant sintering mechanisms are transient arc-fused processes controlled by the input power.
Refractory materials, such as W and Mo, are very useful elements for use in high-temperature applications. But it is not easy to fabricat pure W and Mo with very high density and retaining very fine grain size because of their high melting point. In this paper, a newly developed method named as resistance sintering under ultra high pressure was use to fabricate pure fine-grained W and Mo. The microstructure was analysis by SEM. The sintering mechanism is primary analyzed. Basic physical property of these sintered pure W and Mo, such as hardness, bend strength, are tested.
Austenitic stainless steel has been used as a corrosion resistance material. However, austenitic stainless steel has poor wear resistance property due to its low hardness. In this investigation, we apply powder composite process to obtain hard layer of Stainless steel. The composite material was fabricated from planetary ball milled SUS316L stainless steel powder and WC powder and then sintered by Pulsed Current Sintering (PCS) method. We also added TiC powder as a hard particle in WC layer. Evaluations of wear properties were performed by pin-on-disk wear testing machine, and a remarkable improvement in wear resistance property was obtained.
Resistance sintering under ultra-high pressure if developed to fabricate W-Cu composite containing 5 to 80v/o copper. The consolidation was carried out under pressure of 6 to 8 GPa and input power of 18 to 23 kW for 50 seconds. The densification effect and microstructure of these W-Cu composites are investigated. The effect of W particle size on ,sintering density was also studied. The micro hardness was measured to evaluate the sintering effect.