Effect of cryomilling on particle size and microstrain in a WC-Co alloy

Abstract

The effects of temperature and milling time on the crystalline size and microstrain in WC and WC-Co powders were investigated in a cryomilling process. Within the limit of the analytical methods and TEM, the crystalline size of WC was estimated to be in the range of 50 similar to 70nm after 10h of cryomilling. The presence of Co in the WC-Co system significantly reduced the level of strain in the WC particles in this low-temperature processing. A thermal cycle employed in cryomilling process was also found to be useful in various aspects. Various fitting methods were compared and the results are discussed in relation to processing parameters.