Development of a thermodynamic database for cemented carbides for design and processing simulations

Carbonitrides have a wide range of applications in demanding conditions that require high-temperature resistance, hardness, and strength. The technique to manufacture high-quality products based on such materials, e.g., cemented carbides, has been developed over the years. The experience of the well-known thermodynamic databases for steels has shown possibilities to improve material properties by calculations. Following the CALPHAD approach and using the PARROT module of the Thermo-Calc software, the development of a new database for cemented carbides containing Co-W-Ti-Ta-Nb-C-N has started. The stepwise creation of the database from experimental and theoretical information is presented. To illustrate the usefulness of the new database, some material processing predictions will be calculated. This article is based on a presentation made at “The Milton Blander Symposium on Thermodynamic Predictions and Applications” at the TMS Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, on March 1–2, 1999, under the auspices of the TMS Extraction and Processing Division and the ASM Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibrium Committee.