HIP after sintering of ultrafine WC–Co hardmetals

Abstract This paper analyses the changes induced by HIP after sintering on the microstructure and mechanical properties of WC–7wt.%Co ultrafine hardmetal grade. The well known correlation between porosity reduction and fracture strength improvement is confirmed in these compositions, this being more effective at HIP temperatures above the eutectic point of the alloy. In absence of GGI, hardness decreases continuously as the HIP temperature increases. However, for specimens containing VC and Cr 3 C 2 additions, hardness increases as the HIP temperature increases from 1200 °C to 1400 °C. This anomalous trend, confirmed by WC grain size observations, could be related to the activation of coalescence mechanisms during solid state HIPing, which are inhibited by the presence of a liquid phase.