Effect Of Reducing Agent And Carbon Content On Particle Properties Of Tungsten Carbide Powder Manufactured Through The SHS Process

Tungsten carbide (WC) is the main raw material of cemented carbide (WC-Co) and is mainly used for cutting tools, wear-resistant tools, and impact-resistant tools because of its excellent high-temperature hardness and high strength. The properties of cemented carbide are greatly affected by the particle size of the tungsten carbide powder, and the development of particle size control technology of the tungsten carbide powder is being actively developed to improve the performance of the tool material. This study evaluated the characteristics according to the amount of reducing agent and carbon input to control the particle size of tungsten carbide powder. The phase composition and morphology evolution of synthesized powders has been examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and particle size analyser. As a result, WC powder with a particle size of about 200 nm was manufactured under optimized experimental conditions through the control of the reducing agent and carbon content.