Grain growth during the early stage of sintering of nanosized WC–Co powder

Rapid grain growth during the early stage of sintering has been found in many nano material systems including cemented tungsten carbide WC–Co. To date, however, there have been few reported studies in the literature that deal directly with the kinetics or the mechanisms of this part of grain growth. In this work, the grain growth of nanosized WC during the early stages of sintering was studied as a function of temperature and time. The effects of other influencing factors, such as the initial grain size, cobalt content, and the grain growth inhibitor VC, were investigated. The kinetics of the grain growth process was analyzed and the evolution of the morphology of WC grains during heating-up was studied using high resolution scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the grain growth process consists of an initial stage rapid growth process which typically takes place during heat-up and the normal grain growth during isothermal holding. The initial rapid grain growth is at least partially attributed to the process of coalescence of grains via elimination common grain boundary. The preferred orientation between WC grains within the aggregates is considered a favorable condition for coalescence of grains, hence rapid grain growth. The solution–reprecipitation process is considered a mechanism of coalescence.