The present invention relates to a cemented carbide and coated cemented carbide which contain free carbons, and provides a cemented carbide which enables to remove or reduce the disadvantages of the free carbons even if the cemented carbide contains the free carbons, specifically to decrease in the strength is reduced by finely dispersing the free carbons even if the cemented carbide contains the free carbons and to obtain a beautiful mirror surface on a mirror-finished surface by finely dispersing free carbons in the cemented carbide. The present invention is a cemented carbide composed of tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt (Co), which contains carbon in such an amount range that no solid carbon is contained in a liquid phase while the liquid phase is present at a high temperature, characterized in that the maximum diameter of the pores resulting from the free carbons is 20 m or smaller.

A powder metallurgy moulding composition intended for manufacturing decorative or covering articles in sintered massive cermet, including an inorganic powder to form the cermet and an organic binder. The inorganic powder includes by weight of 35% to 95% of at least one ceramic phase based on ceramic selected from the group consisting of TiC, TiCN, TiN and mixtures thereof, and from 5% to 65% of a metallic phase, the metallic phase consisting by weight of at least 40% of iron, from 15% to 45% of chromium, from 0.1% to 25% of molybdenum, from 0.1% to 10% of silicon, from 0 to 10% of boron, and from 0 to 10% of niobium, the respective amounts of the elements of the metallic phase being such that their sum is equal to 100 wt % of the metallic phase.

A complex carbonitride powder contains Ti as a main component element and at least one additional element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Al, and Si. The complex carbonitride powder includes a plurality of complex carbonitride particles containing Ti and the additional element. The plurality of complex carbonitride particles include a plurality of homogeneous composition particles where average concentrations of Ti and the additional element in each complex carbonitride particle have a difference in a range of greater than or equal to 5 atom % and less than or equal to 5 atom % from average concentrations of Ti and the additional element in the whole complex carbonitride powder. A cross-sectional area of the homogeneous composition particles is greater than or equal to 90% of a cross-sectional area of the complex carbonitride particles 1p.

A complex carbonitride powder contains Ti as a main component element and at least one additional element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Al, and Si. The complex carbonitride powder includes a plurality of complex carbonitride particles containing Ti and the additional element. The plurality of complex carbonitride particles include a plurality of homogeneous composition particles where average concentrations of Ti and the additional element in each complex carbonitride particle have a difference in a range of greater than or equal to 5 atom % and less than or equal to 5 atom % from average concentrations of Ti and the additional element in the whole complex carbonitride powder. A cross-sectional area of the homogeneous composition particles is greater than or equal to 90% of a cross-sectional area of the complex carbonitride particles 1p.

A sintered material contains hard particles composed of one or more selected from the group consisting of cubic boron nitride, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, AlON, SiAlON, TiC, TiCN, TiN, WC, and diamond, a metallic binder phase mainly composed of Co or Ni and containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Al, W, V, and Ti, and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 dispersed in the metallic binder phase.

The cutting insert may include a substrate including a first surface, a second surface, and a cutting edge. The substrate may include a hard phase and a binder phase, and the hard phase may include a first hard phase and a second hard phase. In X-ray diffraction analysis, a peak of the first hard phase may be observed on a higher angle side than a peak of the second hard phase. The second hard phase in the second surface may include a compressive residual stress of 150 MPa or more. A maximum height (Rz) in the second surface may be 0.2 to 1.5 m. A maximum height of the cutting edge may be 2 to 30 times the maximum height in the second surface.

The cutting insert may include a substrate including a first surface, a second surface, and a cutting edge. The substrate may include a hard phase and a binder phase, and the hard phase may include a first hard phase and a second hard phase. In X-ray diffraction analysis, a peak of the first hard phase may be observed on a higher angle side than a peak of the second hard phase. The second hard phase in the second surface may include a compressive residual stress of 150 MPa or more. A maximum height (Rz) in the second surface may be 0.2 to 1.5 m. A maximum height of the cutting edge may be 2 to 30 times the maximum height in the second surface.

A cermet tool includes from 75-95 volume % of a hard phase and from 5-25 volume % of a binder phase. The hard phase has a first hard phase with a core portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo) (C, N) and a peripheral portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo, W) (C, N) or (Ti, Nb, Mo, W, Zr) (C, N), a second hard phase with both a core portion and a peripheral portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo, W) (C, N) or (Ti, Nb, Mo, W, Zr) (C, N), and a third hard phase of (Ti, Nb, Mo) (C, N). The ratio of Nbs/Nbi is from 0.8 to 1.2, where Nbs is a maximum Nb amount in a surface region and Nbi is an internal Nb amount in an internal region. The ratio of Ws/Wi is from 1.0 to 1.5, where Ws is a maximum W amount in the surface region and Wi is an internal W amount in the internal region. The area ratios A1, A2, and A3 of the respective hard phases are from 75 to 95 area % for A1, from 4 to 24 area % for A2, and from 1 to 24 area % for A3.

A cermet tool includes from 75-95 volume % of a hard phase and from 5-25 volume % of a binder phase. The hard phase has a first hard phase with a core portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo) (C, N) and a peripheral portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo, W) (C, N) or (Ti, Nb, Mo, W, Zr) (C, N), a second hard phase with both a core portion and a peripheral portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo, W) (C, N) or (Ti, Nb, Mo, W, Zr) (C, N), and a third hard phase of (Ti, Nb, Mo) (C, N). The ratio of Nbs/Nbi is from 0.8 to 1.2, where Nbs is a maximum Nb amount in a surface region and Nbi is an internal Nb amount in an internal region. The ratio of Ws/Wi is from 1.0 to 1.5, where Ws is a maximum W amount in the surface region and Wi is an internal W amount in the internal region. The area ratios A1, A2, and A3 of the respective hard phases are from 75 to 95 area % for A1, from 4 to 24 area % for A2, and from 1 to 24 area % for A3.

The invention relates to a compacted and densified metal material comprising one or more phases formed of an agglomerate of grains, the cohesion of the material being provided by bridges formed between grains, said material having a relative density higher than or equal to 95% and preferably higher than or equal to 98%.