Effect of Sinter/HIP Technology on Properties of TiC-NiMo Cermets

The present work is a study on the argon gas pressure effects of Sinter/HIP sintering on microstructure and strength of different grades of TiC-NiMo cermets. Titanium carbide in the composition of different grades of TiC-NiMo cermets was ranged from 40 to 80 wt.% and the ratio of nickel to molybdenum in the initial powder composition was 1:1, 2:1 and 4:1 respectively. On the sintered alloys, the main strength characteristic, transverse rupture strength (TRS) was measured. Furthermore, the microstructure parameters of some alloys were measured and the pressure effect on pore elimination was evaluated. All the results were compared with common, vacuum sintered alloys. The TRS values of TiC-NiMo cermets could be considerably improved by using Sinter/HIP technique, for high-carbide fraction alloys and for alloys sintered at elevated temperatures.