Pressure-volume-temperature characteristics of cemented carbide feedstocks

Pressure-vol.-temp. (PVT) characteristics of highly filled cemented carbide powder compds. were investigated on a high-pressure mercury dilatometer. The compds. contg. cemented carbide powder and three components polymeric binder varied in the vol. content of powder and the powder characteristics (particle size distribution and mean particle size). PVT data was found to be dependent on vol. content (0-50 vol.%) of carbide powder in compds.; with increasing powder content, the discrepancies in a sp. vol. at applied pressure decreased, whereas melting temps. remained unaffected as a polymeric binder was powder-filled (confirmed also with differential scanning calorimetry). Volumetric thermal expansion coeff. and compressibility were linearly and exponentially, resp., dependent on pressure. Further, studied carbide compds. showed weakly pronounced shifts in volumetric thermal expansion coeffs. and compressibility obtained for powders differing in their characteristics.