SBIR Phase I:Competitive Carbide Cutting Tools with Alternative Binders

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to investigate a new class of tungsten carbide (WC) based tooling that uses nontraditional binder metals. The metal-matrix composite is designed to have increased temperature and wear resistance by adding the refractory metal rhenium and a nickel-based superalloy to the traditional cobalt binder. The rhenium-superalloy combination yields a higher melting point and hot hardness compared to cobalt, and both have the right properties (limit solubility of carbide) for bonding WC. Increased temperature resistance will allow faster processing for the tool. A processing and testing plan is proposed to examine the effects of binder composition on the tool performance in machining of Inconel 718 and 6Al-4V titanium. Tool wear rate and cutting speed capability will be assessed. The results are expected to demonstrate the great potential for a marketable class of tooling that can dramatically change the equation for metal working by allowing for increased productivity resulting from higher processing rates, and without significant loss in tool life. Furthermore, since the tools are composed and processed similar to traditional WC tools, their toughness and production costs will be competitive, as compared to more expensive, brittle pure ceramic tools. By demonstrating the effectiveness of the tool material for cutting Inconel and titanium, the potential will be exhibited for using the material for cutting other metals, forming or joining metals in other ways, and even serving as structural components.