Fracture toughness of solar-sintered WC with Co additive

Guerra Rosa, L.; Amaral, P.M.; Anjinho, C.; Fernandes, J.C.; Shohoji, N.; Carlos Alberto Gancho

Key information

Authors:

Guerra Rosa, L. (Luís Manuel Guerra da Silva Rosa); Amaral, P.M. (Pedro Miguel Gomes Abrunhosa Amaral); Anjinho, C.; Fernandes, J.C. (José Jorge Lopes da Cruz Fernandes); Shohoji, N.; Carlos Alberto Gancho (Carlos Alberto Gancho Anjinho)

Published in

25 de março de 2002

Abstract

A tungsten carbide (WC) cylinder specimen containing 10 mass% Co sintering aid was prepared under concentrated solar radiation (measured maximum temperature no higher than 1500 °C) in dynamic primary vacuum and its fracture toughness was evaluated by Vickers indentation method. In spite of very fast rates of heating and cooling applied in the solar-sintering process, fracture toughness of the prepared WC cylinder specimen was comparable to that of WC sintered piece prepared through a conventional industrial process in electric furnace under a slow heating and cooling condition. Present results together with the previously reported results for solar-sintered alumina ceramic disk appear to suggest the promising possibility of using solar radiation heating for manufacturing sintered ceramic components