The present invention provides a sintered body containing W and WC, having excellent hardness, strength, compactness, and corrosion resistance, without containing W.sub.2C, and capable of being used for the purpose of a cutting tool or a glass molding die, or a seal ring. There is provided a sintered body containing 4 to 50 vol % of tungsten metal as binder phases, 50 to 95 vol % of tungsten carbide (WC), and 0.5 to 5.0 vol % of tungsten oxide (WO.sub.2), in which the tungsten oxide (WO.sub.2) has an average grain size of 5 nm to 150 nm and is present in a sintered body structure at an average density of 5 to 20 particles/μm.sup.2.

A preparation method of cemented carbide with FeCoCu medium-entropy alloy as binding phase is provided. The preparation method includes: 1) preparing FeCoCu precursor powders by solution combustion synthesis; 2) preparing FeCoCu medium-entropy alloy powders by mechanical alloying; 3) evenly mixing the FeCoCu medium-entropy alloy powders with ultra-fine WC powders and a binder to obtain mixed powders and pressing the mixed powders into a shaped green body; 4) preparing a WC-FeCoCu cemented carbide by microwave sintering after removing the binder from the shaped green body. The preparation method reduces sintering temperature and time and obtains a new-type cemented carbide with fine grains, high hardness and good toughness while reducing the cost.

A coated tool of the present disclosure may include a base and a coating layer covering at least a part of the base. The base may include a hard phase of a carbonitride including Ti and a binder phase including at least one of Co and Ni and has a thermal expansion coefficient at 25 to 1000° C. of 9.0×10.sup.−6/° C. or more. The coating layer may include a TiCN layer and an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 layer positioned on the TiCN layer. The TiCN layer may have a compressive stress of 250 to 500 MPa. The Al.sub.2O.sub.3 layer may have a thickness of 2 μm or more and a compressive stress of 450 MPa or more, and the value of the compressive stress is greater than the compressive stress of the TiCN layer.

The invention relates to a decorative item made of a cermet material including by weight between 70 and 97% of a ceramic phase and between 3 and 30% of a metal binder phase, the metal binder comprising at least one element or its alloy selected from the list consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold and silver, the ceramic phase including a nitride phase and optionally an oxide and/or oxynitride phase, said nitride phase being present in relation to the total weight of the cermet material in a percentage between 70 and 97% and said oxide and/or oxynitride phase in a percentage between 0 and 15%.

The present invention also relates to the method implemented to produce this item.

A process line tool of a cemented carbide comprising in wt %; about 2.9-11 Ni; about 0.1-2.5 Cr.sub.3C.sub.2; and about 0.1-1 Mo; and a balance of WC, with an average WC grain size less than or equal to 0.5 μm.

A hard material includes a first hard phase containing titanium carbonitride as a major constituent and a binder phase containing an iron group element as a major constituent. In any surface or cross-section of the hard material, the grain size D50 at a cumulative percentage of 50% of a grain size distribution by area of the first hard phase is 1.0 μm or more, and the average aspect ratio of first hard phase particles having grain sizes larger than or equal to D50 is 2.0 or less.

A heterogeneous composite consisting of near-nano ceramic clusters dispersed within a ductile matrix. The composite is formed through the high temperature compaction of a starting powder consisting of a core of ceramic nanoparticles held together with metallic binder. This core is clad with a ductile metal such that when the final powder is consolidated, the ductile metal forms a tough, near-zero contiguity matrix. The material is consolidated using any means that will maintain its heterogeneous structure.

The present invention provides a rare earth hard alloy and a preparation method and application thereof. The rare earth hard alloy includes 6 to 15 wt % of a binding phase and the balance of a hard phase, wherein the binding phase includes 30 to 50 wt % of Ni.sub.3Al, 0.1 to 0.5 wt % of a rare earth element and the balance of Ni. According to the rare earth hard alloy provided by the invention, the Ni—Ni.sub.3Al-rare earth element (e.g., Ni—Ni.sub.3Al—Y)-based binding phase is strengthened by Ni.sub.3Al, and an ordered strengthening phase is formed and is diffused and distributed in the binding phase, such that the rare earth hard alloy has a better high-temperature oxidation resistance, a better room-temperature fracture toughness and a better high-temperature bending strength than a conventional hard alloy.

Superhard compacts, assemblies including the same, and methods of using the same are disclosed herein. An example assembly includes at least one superhard compact secured to a support body. The support body includes at least one exterior surface and defines at least one recess extending inwardly from the exterior surface. The recess is configured to receive at least a portion of the superhard compact. The assembly includes at least one magnet that secures the superhard compact to the support body. For example, the magnet may form part of the superhard compact, the support body, or both.

A cemented carbide composed of a first hard phase, a second hard phase and a binder phase, in which the first hard phase is composed of tungsten carbide particles, the second hard phase is composed of at least one first compound selected from the group consisting of TiNbC, TiNbN and TiNbCN, the second hard phase has an average particle diameter of no more than 0.1 μm, the second hard phase has a dispersity of no more than 0.7, the second hard phase has a content of no less than 0.1 vol % and no more than 15 vol %, the binder phase contains at least one first element selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt and nickel, and the binder phase has a content of no less than 0.1 vol % and no more than 20 vol %.