Microwave welding of cemented carbide to Cr12 cold-working steel

The feasibility of welding WC-Co cemented carbide to Cr12 cold-working steel via microwave energy was investigated.Cemented carbide powders were directly consolidated on clean Cr12 substrate surface and then heated at high temperatures in a multimode microwave furnace.The results show that under appropriate conditions such as 103℃/min heating rate,1000-1100℃ temperature and bellow 10 min soaking time,the cemented carbide can effectively be welded on the Cr12 substrate,and the whole processing cycle is approximately 20 min.SEM measurements reveal the formation of clean boundaries and the atomic diffusion from Cr12 to WC-Co.Microwave welding technique which combines the sintering of cemented carbide with the wielding of cemented carbide and Cr12 steel can reduce processing cycle and steps and have a potential prospect,but face harsh welding terms,under-sintering of cemented carbide and substrate etching.