AN AQUEOUS WC-Co CEMENTED CARBIDE SLURRY AND A METHOD OF GEL-CASTING A CEMENTED CARBIDE BODY

摘要

The present invention provides a method of gel-casting WC-Co cemented carbide powder, where the resulting gelled body can be of complex shape and has a high green density, a good homogeneity and sufficiently good mechanical properties for the gelled body to be demolded and dried without significant shape-distortions and cracking. The method relates to the forming of a gelled body through the gelling of an aqueous slurry of WC-Co cemented carbide powder with good dispersion characteristics, where the gelling is achieved by the temperature induced polymerisation reaction between a monomer and a cross-linker, catalysed by a free-radical initiator. By further subjecting the body to drying, heating and sintering, a dense cemented carbide body is obtained.