Encapsulation of Ti Powders with WC-Co using High-Energy Ball Milling: Influence of Milling Time on Microstructure

Abstract

This work investigates the use of high-energy ball milling to encapsulate titanium (Ti) powders with tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co). For varied amounts of time – between 1 and 12 hours – a combination of powders made up of 80% WC-Co and 20% Ti was milled. The findings show that WC was able to effectively encapsulate the surfaces of the Ti powders, and some of the Ti mechanically alloyed with Co to create an amorphous Co-Ti alloy. The encapsulation process is validated by microstructural analysis, which also shows how the powder shape changes during milling time. By providing a scalable approach for enhanced material synthesis, this encapsulation process has the potential to greatly improve the performance of Ti-based composites in wearresistant applications and cutting tools.