Cermets and their production and use

Abstract: The invention relates to novel cermets having a structure comprising a hard phase and a bonding phase, said hard phase comprising (1) at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, wherein M is at least one element selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W, and (2) at least one Mo-Co-B compound, said bonding phase comprising Co, and to methods for their production. The cermets have superior toughness and hardness, and can be worked by conventional sintering methods.

Description: The present invention relates to cermet alloys ('cermets') useful e.g. as materials for tools, that may be easily sintered and have extremely high hardness, to methods for their production, and to their use. Cermets are composite materials combining the hardness characteristics of carbides and nitrides, etc., with the toughness of metals. Ordinarily, the metal is present in the composite material in the form of a bonding phase, and the carbides and nitrides, etc., are present as hard particles. The hard particles includes carbides such as TiC (titanium carbide) and WC (tungsten carbide), etc., nitrides such as Si 3 N 4 and TiN, etc., and borides such as TiB 2 and WB, etc. Cermets of TiC-Ni, TiC-WC-Co, and TiC-WC-Co-Ni in which Ni or Co bonds these particles, and cermets wherein this TiC is replaced with TiCN, are well known. In the ordinary case of cermet production, its reduced toughness is obtained when the materials and the blending method are chosen to attain better hardness; on the contrary, the hardness is reduced when a better toughness is aimed at. For example, in the case of cermets of the TiC-WC-Co group, if the content of Co is reduced, the hardness is improved while the toughness is adversely affected. Also, when the Co content is reduced, sintering will be difficult making it impossible to achieve the required density. On the contrary, when the Co content is increased, the toughness is improved but the hardness is declined. Furthermore, the density is reduced when the conventional production methods are used, making it necessary to use a special sintering process under pressure such as hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing (HIP), etc., thus making the production process much more complicated. FR-A 2514788 discloses a hard sintering alloy having a structure consisting of a hard phase and a bonding phase wherein the hard phase consists of carbo-borides comprising at least 10 wt% Fe, and the bonding phase bonds the hard phase. Ternary carbides formed in the hardphase affect properties. It is the object of the present invention to provide cermets having superior hardness, preferably equivalent to that of ceramic tools, without reduced toughness, which may be easily sintered, and do not require a special sintering process such as hot pressing or hot isostatic pressing to achieve sufficient density, preferably being suitable for high density sintering under condition of vacuum or normal pressure, a method for the production of said cermets and a use thereof. The above object is achieved according to the claims. The dependent claims relate to preferred embodiments. The cermets of the present invention have a structure consisting of a hard phase and a bonding phase, the hard phase apart from impurities consisting of (1) at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, wherein M is at least one element selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W, and (2) at least one Mo-Co-B compound and optionally (3) at least one compound selected from (M, Mo) (B, C), (M, Mo) (B, N) and (M, Mo) (B, CN), the bonding phase consisting of Co and optionally Ni; the cermet is sintered from a green body which is formed from a powder mixture comprising 10-45 vol % MoB or MoB plus WB and 5-25 vol % Co or Co plus Ni. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the cermets of the present invention further comprise (3) at least one compound selected from (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN). The method of the present invention for producing cermets and particularly cermets as defined above comprises the steps of: (A) Uniformly mixing (1) 10 to 45 vol% of a powder consisting of MoB or MoB and WB; (2) 5 to 25 vol% of a powder consisting of Co or Co and Ni; the balance (3) being a powder comprising at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, wherein M is at least one element selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W, and optionally at least one compound selected from (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN); (B) forming the mixture into a green body; and (C) sintering the green body at a temperature of 1,300 to 1,600 °C for 10 to 120 minutes. In the following, a detailed description of the invention will be given with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows an X-ray diffraction analysis for the sintered structure selected from Example. Figure 2 shows another X-ray diffraction analysis for the sintered structure selected from Example. Figure 3 is an SEM microphotograph (magnification 2,400 times) showing the metallic microstructure of a cermet according to the invention. Figure 4 is an SEM microphotograph (magnification 16,000 times) showing the metallic microstructure of a cermet according to the invention. Figure 5 is an SEM micophotograph (magnification 2,400 times) showing the metallic microstructure of a cermet according to the invention. Figure 6 is an SEM microphotograph (magnification 16,000 times) showing the metallic microstructure of a cermet according to the invention. The cermets according to the invention are produced by blending and sintering a powder of MoB, metallic Co powder, and at least one powder of MC, MN, and MCN where M is at least one transitional metal element of Group IVA, VA, or VIA of the Periodic Table. The cermets contain a hard phase with (1) at least one of MC, MN, and MCN as its main component, in combination with (2) a Mo-Co-B component, bonded by a bonding phase containing Co. In particular, M represents Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, or W, and is preferably Ti, W, Mo, Ta, and/or Nb. The cermets produced by blending and sintering the powders of MoB, Co, and at least one of MN, MC, and MCN, have excellent toughness and hardness, and a structure with the following characteristics: (1) The hard phase of the cermets mentioned above composed mainly at least one of MC, MN, and MCN contains at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, at least one Mo-Co-B compound and, (M,Mo)(B,C) and/or (M,Mo)(B,N) and/or (M,Mo)(B,CN), and is composed of a core containing at least one of MC, MN, and MCN and a surrounding shell structure containing (M,Mo)(B,C) and/or (M,Mo)(B,N) and/or (M,Mo)(B,CN). (2) In many cases, the hard phase with a Mo-Co-B compound as a main component contains CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 , and has a composite core/shell structure consisting of a core of CoMo 2 B 2 and a surrounding structure of CoMoB. It is preferred that the metallic Co content in the above bonding phase is 7 % by weight or less. The hardness of the cermets is reduced when the metallic Co which does not contribute to the formation of the Mo-Co-B compound exceeds 7 % by weight. The present invention includes cermets of a structure having a hard phase and a bonding phase, where the hard phase contains (1) at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, (2) a Mo-Co-B compound, and (3) at least one of (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN); and the bonding phase contains Co. In this embodiment the hard phase containing at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, at least one Mo-Co-B compound, and at least one of (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN) may be composed of particles having a composite core/shell structure, containing a core of at least one of MC, MN, and MCN and a surrounding structure of one of (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN). The present invention also includes cermets where the hard phase contains (1) at least one of MC, MN, and MCN and (2) a Mo-Co-B compound containing CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 . The present invention further includes cermets where the hard phase contains (1) at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, (2) a Mo-Co-B compound containing CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 , and (3) at least one of (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN). In a preferred embodiment, the cermets of the invention comprise a hard phase containing (1) TiC, (2) Mo-Co-B compound, and (3) (Ti,Mo)(B,C). The present invention also includes cermets having a hard phase containing (1) TiC and (2) Mo-Co-B compound containing CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 . In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention the cermets have a hard phase containing (1) TiC, (2) a Mo-Co-B compound containing CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 , and (3) (Ti,Mo)(B,C). Another preferred embodiments of the present invention are cermets having a hard phase containing (1) WC and (2) a Mo-Co-B compound. The present invention also includes cermets having a structure composed of a hard phase containing (1) WC and (2) a Mo-Co-B compound containing CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 . In the present invention the Mo-Co-B compound that is formed in the production process includes a composite core/shell structure having a core of MoCo 2 B 2 and a surrounding shell structure of CoMoB. In the cermets of the invention, TiC and (Ti,Mo)(B,C) may form a composite core/shell structure consisting of a core of TiC and a surrounding shell structure of (Ti,Mo)(B,C). Preferably, in the method of the invention, the component represented by MC, MN, and MCN is TiC or WC. In the cermets of the invention, the Mo-Co-B compound (2) is possibly replaced with a Mo-Co-B compound and a W-Co-B compound. In order to produce the cermets according to this invention, it is sufficient to blend and form (1) a powder of MoB, (2) a powder of Co, and (3) a powder of at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, followed by sintering in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. It is desirable to keep the blending ratios as (1) 10 to 45 vol% of a powder comprising MoB; (2) 5 to 25 vol% of a powder comprising Co; and (3) the balance being a powder comprising at least one of MC, MN, and MCN. It is possible to replace a portion of the powder comprising MoB with that of WB and a portion of the powder comprising Co with that of Ni in the production process of each embodiment mentioned above. Uniform sintering becomes difficult when MoB exceeds 45 vol% in a blending ratio, and if Co is less than 5 vol%, strength and plasticity are reduced. Without being bound by theory, it is possible that the formation of the complex layer of Mo-Co-B compound created by the reaction between MoB and Co is inhibited. In addition, when Co is more than 25 vol%. the bonding phase is more than required, resulting in deterioration of the hardness of the cermet. When the particle size of the powder is too small, pores tend to be created during the sintering process as the result of increased content of oxygen, and if the size is too large, the sintering process tends to be hampered as the result of weakened activity of the powder. Accordingly, it is preferred that the particle size of the powder of MN, MC, and MCN is 0.5 to 45 µm, and more preferably 0.7 to 10 µm. The particle size of the powder of MoB is 0.8 to 10 µm, and more preferably 1.0 to 5.0 µm. The Co powder preferably has a particle size of 0.1 to 10.0 µm. It is possible to sinter the powders to form a sintered cermet body using a pressure-free sintering process. It is appropriate to use a non-oxidizing atmosphere such as nitrogen, argon, or a vacuum. Although sintering may be conducted by hot pressing or HIP, a sintered body of high density can be produced without adopting such a pressured sintering process. In the pressure-free sintering process, the sintering temperature is suitably 1,300 to 1,600 °C, especially in the range of 1,400 to 1,500 °C, and the sintering time is 10 to 120 minutes, especially in the range of 30 to 90 minutes. It is not desirable to sinter at less than 1,300 °C because sintering does not sufficiently progress, and the pores tend to remain, while it is also not desirable to raise the temperature above 1,600 °C, since the particles of the hard phase grow excessively. It is not desirable to sinter for less than 10 minutes, since the pores tend to remain, and it is also not desirable to sinter for longer than 120 minutes, since the growth of particles of the hard phase tends to be increased. In the process of the present invention, Co is melted while the sintering process is in progress, and a fine structure is achieved through an accelerating sintering effect. The composite is created when hard particles are bonded firmly with Co. The Co not only fills the gaps between the hard particles of MC, MN, MCN, and the hard particles of MoB compound, but also invades the MoB particles to react with MoB and form CoMo 2 B 2 , and further to form a CoMoB phase on the surface of CoMo 2 B 2 . Since such complex phases of the Mo-Co-B group have an affinity higher than that of the MoB mono-phase, the bonding strength between the Mo-Co-B phase and the Co phase is stronger in the cermets of this invention. In many cases, the Mo-Co-B complex phase takes the form of a composite core/shell structure consisting of a core portion of CoMo 2 B 2 and a surrounding surface shell portion at least partially covering the core, consisting of CoMoB after the MoB particle reacts with Co during the sintering process. In addition to this, a complex phase consisting of (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN) is formed at least on the surface of the particles of MC, MN, MCN after a part of the MoB reacts with MC, MN, and MCN during the above sintering process. This reaction forms the composite core/shell structure of MC, MN, and MCN particles consisting of a core portion at least partially surrounded by a surface structure. In this core/shell structure, the surface portion contains much more Mo and B than the core structure. Since such a composite structure (i.e., of MC, MN, and MCN surrounded by (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN)) has a better affinity to Co than MC, MN, and MCN, the composite particles are combined with Co by the (M,Mo)(B,C) and/or (M,Mo)(B,N) and/or (M,Mo)(B,CN) phase. The composite grains have a inclined functional structure with a gradual change toward the side of Co from the MC, MN, and MCN core portion, and have an excellent bonding strength. It is also considered that a sufficiently fine sintered structure can be produced even without use of pressurized sintering processes, through the reaction-melting of Co and a part of MoB during the above sintering process. Since the bonding strength of both hard particles and the metallic Co matrix phases are extremely high, the toughness of the cermets of this invention is superior. Also, the use of very hard particles of MC, MN, and MCN as the hard phase and formation of a Mo-Co-B compound by a part of the Co having less hardness after sintering creates excellent hardness of the cermets. The cermets of this invention have a Vickers hardness, Hv of at least 1,800. It is possible to replace a portion of the powder of MoB with that of WB in the process of producing the cermets of this invention without reducing the toughness and hardness of the cermets. The invention is now illustrated in greater detail with reference to the following specific examples and embodiments. EXAMPLE WC, TiC, TaC, NbC, TiN, and TiCN with a particle size of 0.5 to 10 µm (for the component selected from MC, MN, and MCN); MoB and WB with a particle size of 1.0 to 5.0 µm; and metallic Co and Ni with a particle size of 5 to 10 µm were blended according to the ratio (vol%) indicated in Table 1. By forming this mixture under a pressure of 14,715 N/cm 2 (1,500 kgf/cm 2 ), a green body having a size of 10 mm (dia.) x 5 mm (thickness) was obtained. These green bodies were sintered at the respective temperature of 1,500 °C, 1,525 °C, and 1,550 °C for 1 h to form cermets. The Vickers hardnesses Hv (1500), Hv (1525), and Hv (1550); and crack resistances CR (1500), CR (1525), and CR (1550); are shown in parallel in Table 1. In the table, ICP-Co is the content of metallic Co of the bonding phase as determined by plasma emission analysis, corresponding to the result of analysis of Co in a solution obtained by grinding the sintered structure to less than 352 mesh (about 40 µm) to get a sample for analysis, then selectively dissolving the metal phase out of it in an acid solution and removing non-dissolved powder from the solution with a filter. With this method, analysis can be conducted on the metallic Co remaining in the bonding phase of the sintered structure to ascertain its volume. Sample 21 in the table is a comparative example with reference to the conventional cemented carbide. Each cermet according to this invention has a Vickers hardness in excess of 1,800 and excellent crack resistance, since the CR value is also large. Figure 1 shows the X-ray diffraction analysis for the example of the sintered body of WC with MoB-30 vol% and Co-10 vol% at a temperature of 1,500 °C. As is evident from figure 1, most of the Co reacts with MoB during the sintering process and forms CoMo 2 B 2 and CoMoB which are Mo-Co-B compounds. Figure 2 shows the X-ray diffraction analysis for the example of the sintered body of WC with MoB-5 vol%, WB-25 vol%, and Co-10 vol% at a temperature of 1,525 °C. As shown in Figure 2, this sintered body has a complex phase structure composed with WC phase, Co(Mo,W) 2 B 2 phase, Co(Mo,W)B phase, and Co phase. In addition, X-ray diffraction analysis for the example of the sintered body of TiC with MoB-15 vol%, WB-15 vol%, and Co-10 vol% at a temperature of 1,525 °C shows that this sintered body has a complex phase structure consisting of TiC phase, {Ti,(Mo,W)}(B,C) phase, Co(Mo,W) 2 B 2 phase, Co(Mo,W)B phase, and Co phase. This complex phase takes the form of a composite core/shell structure consisting of a core portion of TiC phase and a surrounding surface shell portion of {Ti,(Mo,W)}(B,C) phase. Figure 3, 4, 5, and 6 are SEM microphotographs showing the microstructure of the sintered body of the example No. 1 and 2 in Table 1 at a magnification of 2,400 times and 16,000 times respectively. As is evident from the figures, both cermets have a structure of the fine texture and high density. As demonstrated by the above results, the cermets produced by the process according to the invention provide an excellent high level of hardness and also a fine texture, as well as superior toughness of the product. The invention has the advantage that a high density sintering process and product are attained under normal pressure, without relying upon HIP or hot pressing.

Claims: Cermets having a structure consisting of a hard phase and a bonding phase, the hard phase apart from impurities consisting of (1) at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, wherein M is at least one element selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W, and (2) at least one Mo-Co-B compound, and optionally (3) at least one compound selected from (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN), the bonding phase consisting of Co and optionally Ni, the cermet being sintered from a green body which is formed from a powder mixture comprising 10-45 vol % MoB or MoB plus WB and 5-25 vol % Co or Co plus Ni. Cermets according to claim 1, wherein the metallic Co content of the bonding phase is at most 7.0 wt%. Cermets according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hard phase comprises core/shell composite particles having a core comprising at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, said core having thereon at least a partial shell comprising at least one compound selected from (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN). Cermets according to one of claims 1-3, wherein the Mo-Co-B compound (2) is selected from CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 . Cermets according to one of claims 1-4, wherein the Mo-Co-B compound (2) comprises core/shell particles having a core comprising CoMo 2 B 2 , said core having thereon at least a partial shell comprising CoMoB. Cermets according to one of claims 1-5, wherein M represents Ti, and the hard phase comprises (1) TiC, (2) at least one of Mo-Co-B compound, and (3) (Ti,Mo)(B,C). Cermets according to one of claims 1-6, wherein the hard phase comprises core/shell particles having a core comprising TiC, said core having thereon at least a partial shell comprising (Ti,Mo)(B,C). Cermets according to one of claims 1-7, wherein the hard phase comprises (1) TiC and (2) at least one Mo-Co-B compound comprising CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 . Cermets according to one of claims 1-9, wherein the hard phase comprises core/shell particles having a core comprising CoMo 2 B 2 , said core having thereon at least a partial shell comprising CoMoB. Cermets according to one of claims 1-9, wherein M represents W, and the hard phase comprises WC as component (1). Cermets according to one of claims 1-10, wherein the Mo-Co-B compound (2) comprises (a) CoMoB or (b) CoMoB and CoMo 2 B 2 . Cermets according to one of claims 1-11, wherein at least one Mo-Co-B compound is partially replaced with at least one W-Co-B compound. A method for producing the cermets according to claims 1-12, comprising the steps of: (A) Uniformly mixing (I) 10 to 45 vol% of a powder consisting of MoB or MoB and WB; (II) 5 to 25 vol% of a powder consisting of Co or Co and Ni; the balance (III) being a powder comprising at least one of MC, MN, and MCN, wherein M is at least one element selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W, and preferably from Ti, W, Mo, Ta, and Nb, and optionally at least one compound selected from (M,Mo)(B,C), (M,Mo)(B,N), and (M,Mo)(B,CN); (B) forming the mixture into a green body; and (C) sintering the green body at a temperature of 1,300 to 1,600 °C for 10 to 120 minutes. The method according to claim 13, wherein one or more of the following measures are applied: M represents Ti, and the hard phase comprises TiC; M represents W, and the hard phase comprises WC; the balance powder (III) comprising at least one of MC, MN, MCN comprises TiC and/or WC. The method according to claim 13 and 14, wherein the MoB powder (I) is partially replaced with a WB powder. The use of cermets as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 12 for producing tools.

Inventors: GONDA MASAYUKI, KOJO KATSUHIKO, NEGISHI AKIBUMI, GONDA, MASAYUKI, KOJO, KATSUHIKO, NEGISHI, AKIBUMI
Applicants: HITACHI METALS LTD, HITACHI METALS, LTD.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: C22C29
IPC codes: C22C1, C22C29, B23B27, B22F1, B22F3