Properties of Sinters Produced from Commercially Available Powder Mixtures

Abstract

This paper discusses the mechanical properties of a material fabricated from commercially available metal powder mixtures designed for use as a metal matrix of diamond impregnated composites. The mixtures with the catalogue numbers CSA and CSA800 provided by a Chinese producer are suitable for experimental laboratory testing. The specimens were fabricated in a graphite mould using hot pressing. The material was tested for density, porosity, hardness, and tensile strength under static loading. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to analyze the microstructure and cleavage fracture of broken specimens. It was essential to determine how the chemical composition and the fabrication process affected the microstructure and properties of the material. The properties of the sinters were compared with those of hot pressed specimens fabricated from sub-micron size cobalt powder (Cobalt SMS). Although the as-consolidated material is inferior to cobalt, it displays a favourable combination of hardness, yield strength and ductility, and seems to have a great potential for moderate and general purpose applications.

Iron Powder-based Metal Matrix for Diamond Cutting Tools: A Review

“…High production cost of diamond cutting tools is largely attributed to the high price of the powder being used for the matrix. 17) Cobalt and copper metal possess cost in the range of 15-30 USD/lb and 2.5-3.5 USD/lb with very high fluctuation in the past decade 18) whereas, iron metal in comparison possess very low cost and minimal fluctuation. On the other hand, Co and Cu are also considered to be toxic.…”

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Fe-Cu-Ni Sinters Prepared by Ball Milling and Hot Pressing

“…Sintered diamond-impregnated tools consist of diamond crystals embedded in a metallic matrix most often composed of: cobalt, copper, nickel, tin, iron, tungsten and tungsten carbide. Cobalt has long been the most valued matrix material used for professional diamond tools, due to its good diamond retention characteristics [3,4].…”

Archives of Metallurgy and Materials

“…Cobalt combines good chemical compatibility with diamond at the processing temperatures, excellent diamond retention, and satisfactory wear resistance. The major shortcoming of cobalt, however, is its high and unstable price, which has increasingly contributed to the tool production costs since the beginning of the new millennium, when diamond became a commodity product [9]. Cobalt is also a strategic metal because only a few countries produces it.…”