The study of microstructural evolution of cemented tungsten carbide during sintering using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) technique

摘要

The properties of cemented tungsten carbides strongly depend upon microstructural parameters such as grain size. A considerable grain growth and densification occurs during the solid state part of sintering. In order to understand the mechanisms of grain growth and its correlation to sintering, this study is focused on comprehensive microstructural analysis using the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique. A high population of grain boundaries with 90 deg misorientation about [1 0-1 0] is observed. These boundaries are low energy boundaries due to high lattice coincidence; therefore they should play an important role in grain growth. The evolution of microstructure shows that the population of these boundaries decreases as sintering progresses. The origin of these boundaries and their role in grain growth during sintering is also discussed.