The effect of planetary milling conditions on tungsten-carbide (WC) particle size reduction and sintered properties

Tungsten carbide –Cobalt (WC-Co) are widely used as metal cutting and metal forming tools. The principal reason for the usage of WC-Co is their very high hardness, wear resistance and high corrosive resistance. This study elucidates the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of WC-Co composites of different grain size. For effective size reduction planetary ball milling is been used here. In planetary ball milling high energy transfer takes place by the action of two centrifugal force acting on the milling balls in opposite direction at the same time. This causes the transfer of energy from impact and shear of balls and powder. The graded sintered samples are subjected to various mechanical and metallurgical tests and verified. The study presents the results of experimental investigations on mechanical properties of WC with 6% Co. It is observed that the milling time and speed of rotation are the main parameters which influence the effective grain size reduction in planetary ball mill