Effect of basalt fiber on the thermal conductivity and wear resistance of sintered WC-based diamond composites

Tungsten carbide (WC)-based matrix powder, basalt fiber (BF) and diamond were used as raw materials to prepare WC-based diamond composites by hot-press sintering, and then the sintered samples were tested for thermal conductivity and wear resistance. The surface, fracture surface and wear surface of the samples were observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed that the addition of BF significantly weakened the wear resistance of the diamond composites, and the abrasive ratio of the samples was reduced by 34.4% at 5% mass fraction BF addition compared to the samples without BF addition. At the same time, the addition of a moderate amount of BF increased the relative density of the matrix and reduced the number of pores in the matrix material. When 1 wt% BF was added, the WC-based diamond composite had the highest thermal conductivity, reducing the risk of possible thermal damage to the diamond.