SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop an innovative process to significantly enhance the manufacturability of functionally graded cemented tungsten carbide (FGM WC-Co) by utilizing a high temperature carburization process. This technology is based on the understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of liquid phase equilibrium and migration during sintering. The approach is to exploit the thermodynamic equilibriums among liquid Co phase and other phases and the dependence of the equilibrium on temperature and carbon content. Co gradient is formed in this process by forcing liquid Co to flow from the surface region towards the interior region during carburizing heat treatment of conventional liquid-phase-sintered WC-Co. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to develop a high-manufacturability process for FGM WC-Co. Cemented tungsten carbide, WC-Co, is one of the most widely used tool materials in metal machining, mining, oil, gas, geothermal energy explorations, and other industrial applications where extreme wear resistance is required. FGM WC-Co materials are made of WC-Co composites with varying cobalt compositions from surface to the interior of the material. Compared to conventional homogeneous WC-Co, FGM WC-Co offers a combination of superior wear resistance, fracture toughness, and strength, thus provides much more desired engineering performance. However, manufacturing FGM WC-Co presents a difficult challenge because liquid phase sintering, by which most WC-Co products are made today, produces homogeneous materials. This project targets on the development of a new process that can be used to manufacture FGM WC-Co in an economically viable manner.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop an innovative process which can transform conventional cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co), the most widely used industrial tool material, into functionally graded cemented tungsten carbide (FG WC-Co). Compared to the homogeneous structure of conventional WC-Co, FG WC-Co has a harder surface and tougher core due to a gradual increase of cobalt content from the surface to the core, which offers considerably higher wear resistance without sacrificing fracture toughness. This combination of mechanical properties leads to the superior engineering performance of FG WC-Co which translates to significantly improved tool life, reliability, and productivity. The broader/commercial impacts of this project will be the potential to replace conventional WC-Co used in numerous manufacturing industries including auto and aerospace manufacturing, oil and gas drilling, geothermal energy exploration, mining, construction, and applications where extreme wear resistance is required. The replacement of conventional WC-Co tool materials with FG WC-Co is expected to lead to significant productivity improvements in these manufacturing industries. The annual addressable market is estimated to be over $5 billion