International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials最新文献

{"title":"Processing and characterization of bicontinuous W50Cu composite produced by entangled fiber plasma sintering (ETFPS) route","authors":"A. Zamani Alishah,&nbsp;M. Baniasadi,&nbsp;G. Faraji","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tungsten–copper (W<img>Cu) composites are widely applied in electrical and thermal management systems, yet conventional fabrication methods are often constrained by incomplete densification, weak interfacial bonding, anisotropy, and the well-known trade-off between hardness and electrical conductivity. In this study, a novel entangled fiber plasma sintering (ETFPS) approach was employed to fabricate bicontinuous W<img>50Cu composite. The method involves crumpling Cu and W fibers into highly entangled three-dimensional architectures, followed by compaction and consolidation via spark plasma sintering (SPS). This process ensures intimate interfacial contact, suppresses void formation, and promotes effective metallurgical bonding. Microstructural analysis revealed excellent bonding across Cu<img>Cu, Cu<img>W, and even W<img>W interfaces, accompanied by nearly full densification (∼99.84 % relative density). Remarkably, these results were achieved at far lower pressure (40 MPa) and temperature than conventional powder-based or high-temperature processing routes. The isotropic fiber arrangement generated by ETFPS suppressed preferential alignment, leading to uniform properties along different directions. Hardness values were measured as 383.4 HV in the radial direction (RD) and 409.3 HV in the axial direction (AD), with only ∼6 % variation. Similarly, electrical conductivity reached 65.3 % IACS (RD) and 64.4 % IACS (AD), differing by just 1.4 %. The results highlight ETFPS as a versatile and efficient route for producing isotropic W<img>50Cu composites with superior multifunctional performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 107653"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145894145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of vacuum annealing temperature and time on the recrystallisation behavior of cold rolled niobium alloy C-103 sheets","authors":"Ravi Ranjan Kumar ,&nbsp;Kartikey Sharma ,&nbsp;Varsha Florist ,&nbsp;Namit Pai ,&nbsp;Debasis Tripathy ,&nbsp;S.V.S. Narayana Murty","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107671","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107671","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Niobium alloy C-103 is the lightest among the refractory alloy family and is widely used for high temperature applications in aerospace propulsion systems. In the present study, sheets of 2 × 1000 × 1000 mm were processed through cold rolling. However, the cold rolled sheets exhibited higher strength with a significant reduction in percentage elongation (ductility), making them unsuitable for further cold forming process, such as the fabrication of divergent sections of rocket engines. In order to eliminate the residual stresses and obtain a strain-free microstructure, the cold rolled sheets have been vacuum annealed at varying temperatures of 1100 °C, 1200 °C and 1300 °C for 1, 2 and 4 h. Detailed microstructural analysis and mechanical properties evaluation has been carried out on vacuum annealed samples for arriving at optimum annealing parameters. It is noted that the samples annealed at 1100 °C had remnant elongated grains, whereas coarsening of grains was noticed for samples annealed at 1300 °C for 4 h. The samples annealed at 1200 °C for 2 and 4 h had an optimum grain size of 33 and 39 μm, respectively. The corresponding 0.2 % yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and % elongation for 2 h and 4 h condition was 276 ± 4.4 MPa, 385 ± 3.5 MPa, 39.6 ± 3.1% and 271 ± 1.8 MPa, 388 ± 1.5 MPa, 37.8 ± 1%, respectively. Further, an attempt has been made to understand the grain growth kinetics with respect to variation in annealing temperatures and time. The activation energy was estimated to be 792 kJ/mol in the temperature range of 1100–1300 °C for this alloy. The 0.2% yield strength of C-103 material was further correlated to the grain size, as per Hall-Petch relation and the values of σ₀ (lattice friction resistance constant) and k₀ (grain boundary barrier constant) were estimated to be 210 MPa and 356 MPa<span><math><msqrt><mrow><mi>μ</mi><mi>m</mi></mrow></msqrt></math></span>, respectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 107671"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145979059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dose-dependent irradiation embrittlement in tungsten: A predictive model based on grain plasticity mechanisms","authors":"C. Robertson ,&nbsp;D. Terentyev ,&nbsp;E. Gaganidze ,&nbsp;C. Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a radiation embrittlement model applicable to polycrystalline BCC tungsten, in the context of fusion reactor technology. BCC tungsten fracture response is temperature and dose-dependent, due to critical sub-grain plasticity mechanisms and their interaction with brittle fracture initiators. Mesoscale plasticity effects are treated using a comprehensive, close-form analytical expression, accounting for thermally activated slip and cross-slip influences. In practice, the number of slip bands generated in all the grains of a macroscopic grain aggregate is calculated first, for a given plastic strain increment. The results associated with different temperature and dose conditions are then side-by-side compared with corresponding experimental fracture toughness data up to 1100 °C. To demonstrate the predictive model capability, we successfully apply our methodology to the case of tungsten irradiated by neutrons up to 1 dpa. The proposed approach to predict the embrittlement does not use any data adjustment, is based on the SEM-EBDS microstructure of the investigated material, possesses distinctive predictive capacities and is directly applicable in support of advanced design rules to ensure safety during nuclear operation of fusion reactors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 107686"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146035165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recycling of cemented carbide scrap via molten salt electrolysis and in-situ ball milling coupled with carbonization","authors":"Xia Yang ,&nbsp;Ji Zhang ,&nbsp;Man Wang ,&nbsp;Liwen Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaoli Xi ,&nbsp;Zuoren Nie","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107672","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107672","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recycling of cemented carbide scrap is crucial to mitigate the scarcity of strategic tungsten and cobalt resources. The primary challenges in recycling of cemented carbide scraps lie in their high hardness and excellent stability. In this study, a novel recycling approach was proposed by integrating molten salt electrolysis and in-situ ball milling coupled with carbonization. The phase evolution throughout the recycling process was investigated by combined characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The cemented carbide scrap of WC-23Co was successfully pulverized by molten salt electrolysis, resulting in powders containing various phases of WC, Co₆W₆C, Co₃W, Co, and W₂C. Moreover, recycled WC-Co composite powders were obtained by further in-situ ball milling coupled with carbonization at 800 °C, which was attributed to the microstructure modifications introduced by high-energy ball milling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 107672"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145956984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thermomechanical processing induced microstructural tuning for synergistic enhancement of structural and functional performance in WCu immiscible composite","authors":"Peng-Cheng Cai ,&nbsp;Kai-Fei Wang ,&nbsp;Guo-Hua Zhang ,&nbsp;Kuo-Chih Chou","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>W<img>Cu composites combine high strength, rigidity, and low thermal expansion coefficient of W with excellent electrical and thermal conductivity of Cu, endowing them with broad application prospects in a broad application. However, the intrinsic immiscibility between W and Cu leads weak interfacial bonding, posing a long-standing challenge to their high-performance applications. Although the introduction of a third component is widely recognized as an effective mean of improving interfacial compatibility, it is often achieved at the expense of electrical and thermal performance. In this study, fine-grained W<img>Cu composites were subjected to precisely tailored thermomechanical processing (rolling and annealing). On the one hand, the formation of heterointerface-induced stacking faults was promoted, and the substructures introduced by rolling enhanced the plastic deformability of the W particles. Through these coupled effects, load transfer and dislocation motion across the two phases were effectively regulated, leading to a pronounced improvement in overall mechanical performance. On the other hand, the continuity of the Cu phase was enhanced and charge transport pathways were optimized, thereby resulting in improvement of electrical conductivity. These findings provide new insights into the tuning of phase configurations in immiscible metal composites, offering a viable pathway for the synergistic optimization of multiple properties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 107681"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145995331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of WC on grain refinement of binder alloy in EB-PBFed CuNiFeSnTi/WC/diamond composites","authors":"Zihan Yang ,&nbsp;Ruochong Wang ,&nbsp;Huixia Li ,&nbsp;Yafeng Yang ,&nbsp;Yong Liu ,&nbsp;Weiwei He","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107654","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the developments of deep mining and oiling, the rotary drilling bit encounter the urgent requirements of high wear resistance and structural-functional integration. In this work, EB-PBF (Electron beam powder bed fusion) was utilized to fabricate CuNiFeSnTi/WC/diamond composites for drilling matrix body. The dissolution and precipitation of carbides, and their effects on the grain refinement of CuNiFeSnTi alloy were investigated. The results demonstrated that the dissolution of cast tungsten carbide, resulting in detached cast tungsten carbide particles and (Ti,W)C_1-x precipitates, refined the grains by the grain boundary pinning and heterogeneous nucleation. The EB-PBFed composites show satisfactory mechanical properties of 667.08 ± 20.51 MPa and excellent wear resistance properties at <em>E</em> = 36 J/mm³. The drilling matrix body made of CuNiFeSnTi/WC/diamond composites can enhance body durability and hence protection of polycrystalline diamond compact cutters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 107654"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145903349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correlation analyses of molten pool morphology and microstructure of tungsten prepared via powder bed fusion additive manufacturing","authors":"Jianning Gan ,&nbsp;Yunfeng Feng ,&nbsp;Rongpei Wang ,&nbsp;Keyang Li ,&nbsp;Zhiqing Xu ,&nbsp;Mengda Hou ,&nbsp;Ruoyu Qi ,&nbsp;Ming Zhao ,&nbsp;Xiaobo Han ,&nbsp;Jingyuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuehuan Li ,&nbsp;Baorui Du ,&nbsp;Feng Lin ,&nbsp;Daming Zhuang ,&nbsp;Hao Chen ,&nbsp;Qianming Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Strong textures are always the inevitable hurdles in achieving isotropic performance for pure tungsten (W) manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) or electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF). Intrinsically, the ultimate texture is determined by the characters of original molten pool and so in this work, the correlation between the molten pool morphology of pure tungsten during LPBF and EB-PBF process and the ultimate solidification microstructure was explored by experiments and finite element analyses (FEAs). The molten pool morphology of LPBF W was deep and narrow, being called the keyhole mode, and in contrast, the molten pool morphology of EB-PBF W was shallow and wide, being called the conduction mode. According to FEAs, we found that the direction of temperature gradient was generally vertical to the contour line of molten pool bottom towards the center of the molten pool surface. In the keyhole mode molten pool during LPBF process, due to the large depth-to-width ratio, the direction of temperature gradient, pointing centripetally from the bottom contour line to the upper center of the molten pool, changed sharply with the shrinking of molten pool during solidification process, consequently, the primary dendrites, initially vertical to the contour line of molten pool bottom, would collide with each other during their growing along the rapidly varying direction of the temperature gradient, and thus the unidirectional epitaxial growth of primary dendrites would be interrupted, which resulted in bowl-shaped grains and 〈111〉 textures. Differently, the direction of temperature gradient would change more slowly along the shrinking of molten pool during the solidification process of EB-PBF process for the depth-to-width ratio was much smaller in the conduction mode than that in the keyhole mode, so the unidirectional epitaxial growth of the primary dendrites could continue without frequent interruption, and thus typical columnar grains and &lt;111&gt;, 〈001〉 binary textures were formed in EB-PBF W. The results about the correlation of the molten pool morphology and the ultimate microstructure might conduce to find novel approaches for tailoring the textures of tungsten prepared by additive manufacturing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 107678"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146000675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microstructure and tribological behavior over a wide temperature range of TiCrTaMoSi-based composites fabricated via spark plasma sintering","authors":"H.J. Jin ,&nbsp;J.X. Fang ,&nbsp;H.T. He ,&nbsp;Y.B. Li ,&nbsp;Z.L. Jiang ,&nbsp;Y. Shen ,&nbsp;X.Y. Zhou ,&nbsp;T.T. Guo ,&nbsp;G.Q. Yang ,&nbsp;H. Li ,&nbsp;M. Wen","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107692","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2026.107692","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this work, Ti_0.6Cr₃TaMoSi_0.06C_0.1 and Ti_0.6Cr₃TaMoSi_0.06-Ag-CaF₂/BaF₂ composites were fabricated via spark plasma sintering (SPS). Their microstructures were characterized, and tribological properties were evaluated at 25 °C, 350 °C, and 800 °C. The Ti_0.6Cr₃TaMoSi_0.06C_0.1 composite consists of Laves phase, BCC phase, Ta₂C, and TiC, exhibiting a high microhardness of 1010 HV. In contrast, the composite containing lubricating phases is mainly composed of BCC phase, Laves phase, as well as Ag and fluoride phases, with a reduced hardness of 534 HV. Under a 10 mm-diameter Si₃N₄ ball counterpart, a normal load of 20 N, a sliding speed of 10 mm/s, and a test duration of 30 min, Ti_0.6Cr₃TaMoSi_0.06C_0.1 shows friction coefficient and wear rate that first increase and then decrease with temperature. The friction coefficients at room temperature, 350 °C, and 800 °C are 0.91, 1.23, and 0.81, respectively, while the corresponding wear rates are 23, 8.5, and 5.03 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/(Nm). The composite with lubricating phases exhibits lower friction coefficients across the tested temperature range (0.54, 0.58, and 0.69 at room temperature, 350 °C, and 800 °C, respectively). However, its wear rates at 350 °C and 800 °C reach 22.9 and 30.8 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/(Nm), which are significantly higher than those of Ti_0.6Cr₃TaMoSi_0.06C_0.1. The superior high-temperature wear resistance of Ti_0.6Cr₃TaMoSi_0.06C_0.1 is primarily attributed to the formation of a dense composite oxide glaze layer that effectively protects the substrate. The prepared composites exhibit excellent wear resistance over a wide temperature range, making them promising candidates for the fabrication and protection of wear-resistant components under harsh thermal conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"137 ","pages":"Article 107692"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146032956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiphase design of (Ti,W,Ta)C-SiC-WSi2 ceramics via in-situ reaction sintering: microstructure-property relationships and high-temperature oxidation mechanisms","authors":"Yang Yang ,&nbsp;Boxin Wei ,&nbsp;Yunfeng Gao ,&nbsp;Dong Wang ,&nbsp;Lei Chen ,&nbsp;Yujin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2025.107579","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2025.107579","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A novel (Ti,W,Ta)C-SiC-WSi₂ multiphase ceramic was synthesized via in-situ reaction hot-pressing sintering at 1600 °C, using (Ti,W,Ta)C and Si powders as raw materials. The introduction of Si generated SiC and WSi₂ through in-situ reactions, refining microstructure of ceramics. Grain boundary diffusion and (Ti,W,Ta)C_1-<em>x</em> particle migration promoted the formation of secondary intragranular SiC, constructing a unique inter/intragranular SiC-reinforced structure. The in-situ reaction product SiC exhibited specific crystallographic orientation relationships with both (Ti,W,Ta)C and WSi₂, significantly improving interfacial bonding strength and crack propagation resistance. The TWT10S sample (containing 5.20 wt% SiC and 4.11 wt% WSi₂) exhibited excellent mechanical performance: flexural strength (‌605 ± 53 MPa‌) and fracture toughness (‌5.1 MPa·m¹/²‌). The in-situ formed SiC endowed the material with intrinsic oxidation resistance. The 5 mol% Si sample achieved optimal performance due to the formation of a continuous, dense SiO₂ protective film at 1000 °C. This study provided a theoretical foundation for developing high-performance ultra-high-temperature ceramics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"136 ","pages":"Article 107579"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145619618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rapid consolidation of cemented tungsten carbide via ultrafast high-temperature sintering","authors":"Daiki Akutagawa,&nbsp;Keita Ihara,&nbsp;Toshiki Sato,&nbsp;Tomoharu Tokunaga,&nbsp;Takahisa Yamamoto","doi":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2025.107582","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2025.107582","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS) has garnered attention for facilitating rapid sintering by employing carbon felt as a heat source. In particular, the low oxygen partial pressure achieved by the carbon heater is effective for sintering carbides in a short duration. In this study, WC-11mass%Co was used as a model cemented carbide material to investigate the densification conditions and the resulting alloy microstructure obtained during UHS. A dense alloy composed of only WC and γ-phases was obtained using a dwell time of only 60 s by setting the sintering temperature (carbon felt current) above the eutectic temperature between WC and the γ-phase. Scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed a characteristic microstructure at the WC/γ-phase interface, resulting from the rapid cooling rate achieved by turning off the carbon felt current at the end of UHS. The presence of steps was observed on the WC (0001) surface, but not on the {<span><math><mn>10</mn><mover><mn>1</mn><mo>¯</mo></mover><mn>0</mn></math></span>} surfaces. Additionally, the WC_1-X phase, a structurally relaxed phase, was not observed on the WC (0001) surface. However, extending the dwell time to 90 s led to the formation of numerous voids, substantially decreasing the density. The formation of these voids is attributed to localized current concentration within the alloy during UHS. To prevent current inflow during UHS, a thin alumina single-crystal plate was inserted between the carbon felt and the green compact. This effectively suppressed the current inflow, resulting in a dense alloy without voids. To ensure electrical insulation from the carbon felt is essentially necessary for UHS of cemented carbides.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Refractory Metals & Hard Materials","volume":"136 ","pages":"Article 107582"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145619608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}