Influence of the composition and the tungsten particle size on the sintering of W-Cu composites

Abstract

Sintering is an alternative technique for producing W-Cu composites, but the system has a low sinterability. The increase of the sintered density for such a material is a need. The sintering mechanisms of W-Cu composites is investigated and the influence of the copper content and the tungsten particle size is analyzed by dilatometric measurements. The evolution of the structure during sintering is described. Copper plays the most important role for promoting densification. The sintering between the copper particles in contact is responsible for the densification in the solid state, but the main contribution is the rearrangement of the tungsten particles when copper melts. The higher the copper content the higher is the densification of the material. The use of fine tungsten and copper powders leads to higher densities and avoids the formation of large pores as copper melts.