Hard alloy

Abstract: A hard alloy suitable for use in cutting tools, which exhibits excellent wear and fracture resistance, is disclosed. The hard alloy includes a hard dispersed phase and a binder metal phase, and the binder metal phase is constructed so that compressive stress, preferably of no less than 98 MPa (10 kgf/mm²), is retained therein. The hard alloy may be a cermet which includes a hard dispersed phase of at least one compound of titanium carbonitride and composite carbonitrides of titanium with at least one element of tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium or hafnium, and a binder metal phase of one or more of cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminum. The hard alloy may also be a cemented carbide in which the hard dispersed phase contains tungsten carbide and, optionally, one or more components of carbide, nitride and carbonitride which contains at least one of titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium or chromium, and in which the binder metal phase contains one or more metals of cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminum.

Description: The present invention relates to a hard alloy, such as cermet or cemented carbide, which exhibits excellent wear resistance and fracture resistance when used as cutting tools. Documents EP-A-0 247 985 and EP-A-0 246 211 disclose a cemented carbide body consisting of a hard dispersed phase and a binder phase, wherein a compression stress is formed in the surface area of the sintered body, created by a difference in heat expansion between the surface area and the center area of the sintered body. A known cermet which includes: a hard dispersed phase composed of carbonitride of titanium (Ti) or composite carbonitride of titanium and at lease one element of tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), niobium (Nb), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), zirconium (Zr) or hafnium (Hf); and a binder metal phase composed of at lease one metal of cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) or aluminum (Al) has hitherto been used in cutting tools for finishing cuts on steel or the like, whereas a known cemented carbide which includes: a hard dispersed phase composed of tungsten carbide (WC) and optionally at least one compound of carbide, nitride or carbonitride which contains at least one element of titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium or chromium; and a binder metal phase composed of at least one metal of cobalt, nickel, iron or aluminum has hitherto been used in cutting tools for roughing cuts on steel, cast iron or the like. Inasmuch as the aforesaid conventional hard alloy is a composite material comprised of the hard dispersed phase and the binder metal phase, compressive stress is intrinsically exerted on the hard dispersed phase while tensile stress is exerted on the binder metal phase upon the completion of sintering. More specifically, cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminum, which serve as metals for defining the binder metal phase of the aforesaid hard alloy, have coefficients of thermal expansion of 12.36 x 10 -6 / o C, 13.30 x 10 -6 / o C, 11.50 x 10 -6 / o C and 23.13 x 10 -6 / o C, respectively. In contrast, since titanium carbide (TiC) and titanium nitride (TiN) have coefficients of thermal expansion of 7.42 x 10 -6 / o C and 9.35 x 10 -6 / o C, respectively, the coefficient of thermal expansion of titanium carbonitride (TiCN) defining the hard dispersed phase of the cermet, should have a value between them. Furthermore, with respect to the constituents defining the hard dispersed phase of the cemented carbide, the coefficient of thermal expansion of tungsten carbide is 5.2 x 10 -6 / o C as measured in the a-axis direction, and 7.3 x 10 -6 / o C as measured in the c-axis direction. Also, the coefficients of thermal expansion of tantalum carbide (TaC) and niobium carbide (NbC) are 6.29 x 10 -6 / o C and 6.65 x 10 -6 / o C, respectively. Thus, in both cermet and cemented carbide, the coefficient of thermal expansion for the binder metal phase is greater than that for the hard dispersed phase, and hence the shrinkage of the binder metal phase, upon cooling after the sintering operation, becomes greater than that of the hard dispersed phase. Therefore, the binder metal phase shrinks in such a way as to encapsulate the hard dispersed phase therein, so that the hard dispersed phase undergoes compressive stress while the binder metal phase undergoes tensile stress. Thus, the compressive stress is retained in the hard dispersed phase of the resulting alloy, whereas the tensile stress is retained in the binder metal phase thereof. In the case where the conventional hard alloy of the aforesaid construction is directly used to manufacture cutting tools, the cutting edges of the resulting tools are not only susceptible to chipping against the great impact to be exerted on the surfaces, but are also insufficient in wear resistance, thereby resulting in a very short tool life. In order to circumvent these problems, various specially developed sintering techniques have hitherto been applied to enhance the fracture resistance, or a hard coating has been formed on the surface of the tool to improve the wear resistance. However, since these measures require an increased manufacturing cost, the resulting cutting tools have become expensive. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a hard alloy which, when used as a cutting tool, exhibits superior wear resistance and fracture resistance compared with conventional hard alloys, and which can be easily manufactured at a reduced cost. According to the present invention, there is provided a method of making a hard alloy body as claimed in claim 1 and a hard alloy obtained by said method as claimed in claim 3 comprising a hard dispersed phase and a binder metal phase, with the binder metal phase constructed so that compressive stress is retained therein. In the foregoing hard alloy, since the compressive stress is retained in the binder metal phase, the hard alloy exhibits excellent wear resistance and fracture resistance. It is preferable that the compressive stress retained in the binder metal phase be no less than 98 MPa (10 kgf/mm 2 ). Furthermore, the hard alloy is comprised of cermet or cemented carbide. A typical cermet to be used for the purpose of the invention comprises: a hard dispersed phase which consists essentially of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of titanium carbonitride and composite titanium carbonitride which further contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium and hafnium; and a binder metal phase which consists essentially of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminum. Similarly, a typical cemented carbide for cutting tools has: a hard dispersed phase which consists essentially of tungsten carbide and, optionally, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of carbide, nitride and carbonitride which contains at least one element of titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium or chromium; and a binder metal phase which consists essentially of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminum. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION While observing stresses exerted on the hard dispersed phase and the binder metal phase, the inventors have made an extensive study to develop a hard alloy which not only has superior wear and fracture resistances compared with conventional hard alloys, but also can be manufactured at a reduced cost. As a result, they have come to realize that when the hard alloy is constructed so that compressive stress is retained in the binder metal phase, the resulting alloy unexpectedly exhibits excellent wear and fracture resistance. Thus, the hard alloy, in accordance with the present invention, is characterized in that compressive stress, preferably of no less than 98 MPa (10 kgf/mm 2 ), is retained in the binder metal phase. With this construction, the hard alloy exhibits substantially enhanced wear resistance and fracture resistance compared with conventional hard alloys. In order to retain the compressive stress in the binder metal phase a mechanical method of treatment, involving sand blasting or shot peening against the surface of the sintered alloy, or an ion etching treatment on the surface thereof, is applied. Thus, neither special sintering techniques nor hard coating need be applied to enhance wear and fracture resistance, and consequently a substantial reduction of the manufacturing cost can be achieved. The hard alloy of the invention is composed of cermet or cemented carbide. A typical cermet to be used for the purpose of the invention comprises: a hard dispersed phase which consists essentially of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of titanium carbonitride and composite titanium carbonitride which further contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium and hafnium; and a binder metal phase which consists essentially of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminum. Such cermet may have any composition, but typically has 5 to 30 %, by weight, of the binder metal phase, with the balance hard dispersed phase composed of titanium carbonitride. When composite titanium carbonitrides are contained as the hard dispersed phase constituents, the total content of these constituents should be preferably between 10 and 60 %, by weight, with respect to the total amount of the cermet. Similarly, a typical cemented carbide for cutting tools comprises: a hard dispersed phase which consists essentially of tungsten carbide and, optionally, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of carbide, nitride and carbonitride which contains at least one element of titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium or chromium; and a binder metal phase which consists essentially of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminum. Such cemented carbide may have any composition, but typically has 3 to 30 %, by weight, of the binder metal phase and balance hard dispersed phase of tungsten carbide. When carbide, nitride and/or carbonitride are further added to the hard dispersed phase, the total content of these constituents should be preferably between 0.1 to 30 %, by weight, with respect to the total amount of the cemented carbide. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the following examples. Example 1 Powders were blended and mixed into a composition of TiCN-15%WC-10%TaC-10%Mo 2 C-10%Co-5%Ni (% denotes % by weight), and pressed into green compacts, which were then sintered under ordinary conditions to produce TiCN-based sintered cermets having a shape of a cutting insert in conformity with ISO, TNMG 160412. Thereafter, a large number of steel balls, 300 micrometers in average diameter, were blasted against the sintered cermets under the conditions set forth in Table 1. The cermets thus obtained, were tested for residual stresses in both the hard dispersed phase and the binder metal phase of the surface portions, by means of an X-ray stress-measuring device. The cermets in which compressive stress was retained in the binder metal phase are indicated as cermets 1 to 8 of the invention, while the other cermets in which the residual stress in the binder phase is tensile stress, are indicated as comparative cermets 1 to 4. Furthermore, for the purpose of comparison, a TiCN-based sintered cermet which was obtained by the same procedures, without treatment with the steel balls, was used as a prior art cermet. Its residual stress was also measured and stated in Table 1. In order to evaluate the wear resistance, the cermets 1 to 8 of the invention, the comparative cermets 1 to 4, and the prior art cermet obtained as described above, were subjected to a continuous cutting test under the following conditions: Workpiece: round bar of steel (JIS.SCM 440) Cutting speed: 200 m/minute Feed rate: 0.2 mm/revolution Depth of cut: 1.0 mm Cutting time: 30 minutes In this test, the flank wear width was measured. Similarly, in order to evaluate the fracture resistance, all of the above cermets were subjected to an interrupted cutting test under the following conditions, and then the number of the cutting inserts fractured per ten, was determined. Workpiece: round bar of steel (JIS.SCM 440) with four grooves Cutting speed: 200 m/minute Feed rate: 0.26 mm/revolution Depth of cut: 1.0 mm Cutting time: 2 minutes The results of the above two tests are stated in Table 1. As clearly seen from the results, the cermets 1 to 8 of the invention, in which the compressive stress is retained in the binder metal phases, exhibit greater wear resistance and fracture resistance than the comparative cermets 1 to 4 and the prior art cermet in which the residual stress in the binder metal phase is tensile stress. Example 2 Powders were blended and mixed into a composition of WC-1% TaC-6%Co (% denotes % by weight), and pressed into green compacts, which were then sintered under usual conditions to produce WC-based cemented carbides having a configuration of a cutting insert in conformity with ISO, TNMG 160412. Thereafter, a large number of steel balls, 300 micrometers in average diameter, were blasted against the sintered carbides under the conditions set forth in Table 2. The cemented carbides thus obtained were tested for residual stresses in both the hard dispersed phase and the binder metal phase of the surface portions, by means of the X-ray stress-measuring device, and the cemented carbides in which compressive stress was retained in the binder phase, are indicated as cemented carbides 1 to 6 of the invention, while the other cemented carbides in which the residual stress in the binder phase is tensile stress are indicated as comparative cemented carbides 1 to 3. Furthermore, for the purpose of comparison, a WC based cemented carbide which was obtained by the same procedures, without treatment with the steel balls, was used as a prior art cemented carbide 1. Its residual stress was also measured and stated in Table 2. In order to evaluate the wear resistance, the cemented carbides 1 to 6 of the invention, the comparative cemented carbides 1 to 3, and the prior art cemented carbide 1 thus obtained, were subjected to a continuous cutting test under the following conditions: Workpiece: round bar of cast iron (JIS.FC 30) Cutting speed: 80 m/minute Feed rate: 0.3 mm/revolution Depth of cut: 1.5 mm Cutting time: 20 minutes In this test, the flank wear width was measured. Similarly, in order to evaluate the fracture resistance, all of the above cemented carbides were subjected to an interrupted cutting test under the following conditions, and the number of the cutting inserts fractured per ten was determined. Workpiece: round bar of cast iron (JIS.FC 30) with four grooves Cutting speed: 100 m/minute Feed rate: 0.3 mm/revolution Depth of cut: 2.0 mm Cutting time: 5 minutes The results of the above two tests are stated in Table 2. As clearly seen from the results, the cemented carbides 1 to 6 of the invention, in which the compressive stress is retained in the binder metal phases, exhibit greater wear resistance and fracture resistance than the comparative cemented carbides 1 to 3 and the prior art cemented carbide in which the residual stress in the binder metal phase is tensile stress. Example 3 Powders were blended and mixed into a composition of WC-8% TiC-10%TaC-1%NbC-9%Co (% denotes % by weight), and pressed into green compacts, which were then sintered under ordinary conditions to produce WC-based cemented carbides having a configuration of a cutting insert in conformity with ISO. SNMG 432. Thereafter, a large number of steel balls, 250 micrometers in average diameter, were blasted against the cemented carbides under the conditions set forth in Table 3. The cemented carbides thus obtained were tested for residual stresses in both the hard dispersed phase and the binder metal phase of the surface portions, by means of the X-ray stress-measuring device, and the cemented carbides in which compressive stress was retained in the binder phase, are indicated as cemented carbides 7 to 11 of the invention, while the other cemented carbides in which the residual stress in the binder phase is tensile stress are indicated as comparative cemented carbides 4 to 6. Furthermore, for the purpose of comparison, a WC-based cemented carbide which was obtained by the same procedures, without treatment with the steel balls, was used as a prior art cemented carbide 2. Its residual stress was also measured and stated in Table 3. In order to evaluate the wear resistance, the cemented carbides 7 to 11 of the invention, the comparative cemented carbides 4 to 6, and the prior art cemented carbide 2 thus obtained, were subjected to a continuous cutting test under the following conditions: Workpiece: round bar of alloy steel (JIS.SCM440) Cutting speed: 120 m/minute Feed rate: 0.3 mm/revolution Depth of cut: 1.5 mm Cutting time: 20 minutes In this test, the flank wear width was measured, and the results are stated in Table 3. Similarly, in order to evaluate the fracture resistance, all of the above cemented carbides were subjected to an interrupted cutting test under the following conditions, and the number of the cutting inserts fractured per ten was determined. Workpiece: round bar of alloy steel (JIS.SCM440) with four grooves Cutting speed: 120 m/minute Feed rate: 0.3 mm/revolution Depth of cut: 2.0 mm Cutting time: 2 minutes The results of the above test are also stated in Table 3. As clearly seen from the results, the cemented carbides 7 to 11 of the invention, in which the compressive stress is retained in the binder metal phases, exhibit greater wear resistance and fracture resistance than the comparative cemented carbides 4 to 6 and the prior art cemented carbide 2 in which the residual stress retained in the binder metal phase is tensile stress.

Claims: Method of making a hard alloy body comprising the steps of: mixing powders containing components forming a hard dispersed phase of the alloy consisting essentially a) of at least one component selected from the group consisting of titanium carbonitride and composite titanium carbonitride which contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium and hafnium or b) of tungsten carbide and, optionally at least one compound selected from the group consisting of carbide, nitride and carbonitride which contains at least one element of titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium or chromium and components forming a binder phase of the alloy consisting essentially of c) at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminium; sintering the powder to produce the alloy body and treating the surface of the body so that compressive stress is retained in the binder phase, wherein said treatment step comprises a mechanical method of treatment or an ion etching treatment of the surface of the sintered body. Method according to claim 1, wherein said mechanical method of treatment is a sandblasting or shot peening treatment. A hard alloy obtained by a method according to claim 1 or 2, and containing components forming a hard dispersed phase of the alloy consisting essentially a) of at least one component selected from the group consisting of titanium carbonitride and composite titanium carbonitride which contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium and hafnium or b) of tungsten carbide and, optionally at least one compound selected from the group consisting of carbide, nitride and carbonitride which contains at least one element of titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium or chromium and components forming a binder phase of the alloy consisting essentially of c) at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron and aluminium; wherein said compressive stress remaining in said binder metal phase is not less than 98 MPa.

Inventors: YOSHIMURA HIRONORI, YOSHIMURA, HIRONORI, Yoshimura, Hironori, c/o Tsukuba-Seisakusho
Applicants: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORP, MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: C22C29
IPC codes: C22C29, B22F3, C21D7