Infiltration is an extensively used technique in the production of Diamond Impregnated Bits (DIBs) commonly used for drilling in both mineral exploration and the Oil&Gas industry. This paper describes research into liquid phase sintering (LPS) as an alternative to commonly used infiltration processes. The great wear resistance and high cutting ability necessary for these tools in turn requires a high diamond concentration and a large volume fraction of wear-resistant components, such as tungsten carbide and/or eutectic tungsten carbide particles. With relatively large particles that do not contribute to densification, the LPS system researched was designed with a relatively large amount of permanent liquid phase sintering, with, rearrangement being selected as the primary densification mechanism owing to the stability of the hard phases. After testing various binder phases and evaluating the influence of the liquid phase volume fraction and presence of some sintering aids, results are promising. Bonds with better sintering behaviour were characterized, while hardness, microstructure, abrasive wear resistance, and interaction with diamonds were studied. The proposed 35NiP25Cu40WC bond processed by LPS attained hardness of 66 HRA and wear coefficient of 20 mm3/MPa, levels similar to those obtained by hot pressed components currently used in the diamond drilling tool industry (19 mm3/MPa).

The sinterability of a commercial Fe-Cu pre-alloyed powder, designed to be used as a metallic bond in diamond impregnated tools, has been greatly analyzed by combining dilatometry, computational thermodynamic calculations, and microstructural analysis. The effect of sintering temperature and alloying elements such as graphite and iron phosphide have been taken into consideration in order to demonstrate the capability of tailoring final properties through different strategies, and dilatometry and microstructural analysis have been used to understand the densification process of the alloys. Solid phase sintering was the mechanism taking place during thermal cycle. In fact, a liquid phase appears but because of the high densification level at that time mechanisms associated with LPS do not contribute to densification. Discussion about me-chanical properties has been related to key microstructural phenomena, i.e., grain growth, phase transformation, precipitation, and solid solution. Obtained hardness ranged from 83 HRB to 106 HRB with yield stresses between 450 MPa and 700 MPa and elongations above 3%, while final tensile properties similar to those obtained by cobalt-based powders processed by hot pressing were also obtained.

Different approaches to take advantage of powder metallurgy in the manufacturing of diamond-impregnated components were studied. Three different powders were used as starting materials; two pre-alloyed powders, based on Fe-Cu and Fe-Cu-Sn systems, and one pre-mixed Fe-based powder. Different manufacturing routes as a strategy to obtain tailored mechanical properties were studied, with the influence of alloying elements such as graphite, iron phosphide and Mn-Ni-B master alloy to reinforce the iron-based powders. Both uncoated and coated commercial synthetic diamonds were introduced in the systems to analyse the surface reactions that depend on both metallic matrix and processing parameters. Hardness values from 88 to 105 HRB were obtained with a wide range of transverse rupture strength values from 1250 to 1640 MPa. An appropriate combination of metallic matrix, alloying elements and processing parameters makes the materials analysed here suitable powders for the manufacturing of diamond-impregnated tools.

Thermochemical treatments like plasma nitriding or surface carburizing are commonly used to enhance surface hardness of steel components. An important difference between these treatments is the temperature at which they are carried out. In the present paper, the surface carburizing was carried out following a recently reported non-isothermal low pressure carburizing (LPC) treatment. In order to gain a comparative view of the effect of different treatments on the microstructure, microhardness, fatigue and impact properties, materials with distinct hardenability and widely used in the industrial production were evaluated. Tests were also carried out using industrially processed components aimed to an application demanding high wear resistance. The microstructural evolution during case hardening was studied by optical and electron microscopy.

The aim of this work was to study the synthesis and electrochemical properties of Ti 2 wt %-Si alloys prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) and heat treatment. The MA process was performed under Ar atmosphere. The structural, morphological, and compositional evolutions during the milling and subsequent heat treatment were investigated by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical behavior was evaluated by open circuit potential and linear sweep voltammetry measurements. The results showed that the MA process promotes the formation of a supersaturated alpha-Ti-Si solid solution. During heat treatment, the Si remaining in the mechanically alloyed powders and the Si from the alpha-Ti-Si supersaturated solid solution reacted with Ti to form Ti-Si intermetallic compounds. These compounds have a fine and homogeneous distribution in the alpha-Ti matrix, which cannot be achieved by conventional casting methods. Additionally, the electrochemical evaluations revealed that the mechanically alloyed and heat-treated Ti 2 wt %-Si powders have better corrosion resistance in 1.63 M H2SO4 than the pure Ti and MA Ti-Si samples. This is likely due to the particular microstructure produced during the milling and subsequent heat treatment.

Powder blends within the Fe-Cu-C system are extensively used by the Powder Metallurgy industry. Based on the optimisation of mechanical properties the purpose of this work is to further understand the dimensional changes produced in the powder compact during sintering. Green compacts containing copper and carbon within ranges 0.5-3.5% Cu and 0.3-0.9% C were die pressed and sintered under different conditions varying processing parameters, including compaction pressure, temperature and time. Better understanding of the effect of different Cu/C combinations on dimensional changes was approached using the results obtained from dilatometry studies combined with interrupted sintering experiments. For selected specimens the effect of elemental Ni additions, at 1 and 4%, on dimensional changes was studied along with a detailed description of microstructural development. It was clearly observed that swelling due to copper melting and grain boundary diffusion is diminished as graphite additions were increased. The impact of Cu-C-Ni additions on hardness was also evaluated.

The sintering behaviour of prealloyed powder compacts has been studied as a function of the sintering atmosphere in free sintering experiments. Atmospheres with different hydrogen/nitrogen ratios and even vacuum have been used in the sintering cycles. Powder compacts with and without diamond additions have been sintered. Three different grades of diamond were used in the experiments, all of them synthetic manmade diamond. Two had different levels of metallic inclusions and one was coated with Ti. The interaction between bond/atmosphere/diamond has been characterised analysing the density, microstructure, bend strength and degradation of the diamonds after dissolving the matrix. Diamonds from atmospheres with low hydrogen content show evidence of strong degradation. Moreover, any diamond additions strongly decrease the strength of the bonds, acting as defects. The strength is also affected by the sintering atmosphere and sintering temperature but not significantly by the type of diamond.