Orientation distribution of characteristic planes in WC-Co cemented carbides

Nanoscale WC-Co composite powders were synthesized by in situ reduction and carbonization reactions at different temperatures. The powders were subsequently consolidated in the spark plasma sintering (SPS) system, and then the nanocrystalline WC-Co cemented carbide bulk materials were obtained. Systematic tests and analyses show that the cemented carbides consolidated from the powders synthesized at low temperature has obvious orientation distribution of WC characteristic planes. The area fraction of the (0001) plane vertical to the sintering pressure direction occupies up to 40%, but that parallel to the sintering pressure direction is only 10.72%. In contrast, the cemented carbide bulk materials consolidated from the powders synthesized at higher temperatures do not exhibit the orientational distribution of characteristic planes.