Microwave and conventional sintering of 90W-7Ni-3Cu alloys with premixed and prealloyed binder phase

摘要

The present study investigates the possibility of consolidating premixed 90W-7Ni-3Cu alloy - designated as 90W-PM (Ni-Cu) - through microwave sintering. An attempt has been made to compare the results between microwave and conventionally sintered samples. This study also compares the sintering behavior of 90W-7Ni-3Cu with prealloyed 90W-PA (Ni-Cu) in both conventional as well as microwave furnace at various temperatures. The comparative analysis is based on the sintered density, densifica-tion parameter, hardness and microstructures of the samples. The present investigation also includes the variation of matrix composition as a function of temperature by EPMA analysis. The results show that microwave sintering requires about 75% less processing time than required by conventional method and still provides better physical and mechanical properties.