Patent ID: 7666349

Claim:
A method of producing a gelled body comprising forming a slurry by mixing in an aqueous medium above about 42 percent by volume of WC—Co cemented carbide powder containing from about 3 to about 20 wt % Co and between about 0.05 and about 5 wt % with regard to dry powder weight, of a comb-copolymer dispersant with an anionic backbone having carboxylic and/or sulphonate groups and poly(ethylene oxide)-based chains of variable length grafted onto the backbone, forming a mixture by adding to said slurry from about 10 to about 35 wt % relative to the weight of the aqueous medium, of a polymerizing system comprising a monofunctional monomer of (2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, a cross-linker of N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide and from about 0.05 to about 5 wt %, with regard to the total weight of monomer and cross-linker, of an initiator of azo-type, the monomer/cross-linker weight ratio being from about 1:3 to about 10:1, pouring or squeezing said mixture in fluid condition into a mold of desired shape, increasing the temperature to a temperature sufficient to induce the polymerization of the polymerizing system for a time sufficient to consolidate the mixture into a shaped body, and removing the body from the mold.