Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3 - WC - Co composites obtained by spark plasma sintering

Abstract This work reports the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) of composites derived from a mixture of alumina (Al2O3), tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt (Co) for applications in cutting tools. Powders with nominal composition 80 wt% Al2O3–18 wt% WC - 2 wt% Co were processed by high energy milling and sintered at 1550 °C for 5 min. Specimens with apparent porosity of 1.15% and microhardness of 26.41 GPa were obtained. The analysis of the friction coefficient curve showed a variation of 0.54. The composite wear rate reached 1.978× 10−6 mm3/Nm. The surface roughness increased by 101.4% after the wear test.