A composite sintered material includes a plurality of diamond grains, a plurality of cubic boron nitride grains, and a remainder of a binder phase, wherein the binder phase includes cobalt, a content of the cubic boron nitride grains in the composite sintered material is more than or equal to 3 volume % and less than or equal to 40 volume %, and an average length of line segments extending across continuous cubic boron nitride grains in appropriately specified straight lines extending through the composite sintered material is less than or equal to a length three times as large as an average grain size of the cubic boron nitride grains.

A tool having a cutting edge that includes a sintered body containing cubic boron nitride. The sintered body integrally and inseparably includes an inner region and a binder phase enriched layer formed on at least part of a surface of the inner region. The inner region includes: 15-90 volume % of cubic boron nitride; and 10-85 volume % of a mixture of a binder phase and impurities. The binder phase enriched layer includes: 90-100 volume % of the binder phase and impurities mixture; and 0-10 volume % of cubic boron nitride; and the binder phase contains at least one kind selected from the group consisting of: at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Al, Co, Ni and Si; and a compound of the element and at least one element selected from the group consisting of C, N, O and B.

A tool having a cutting edge that includes a sintered body containing cubic boron nitride. The sintered body integrally and inseparably includes an inner region and a binder phase enriched layer formed on at least part of a surface of the inner region. The inner region includes: 15-90 volume % of cubic boron nitride; and 10-85 volume % of a mixture of a binder phase and impurities. The binder phase enriched layer includes: 90-100 volume % of the binder phase and impurities mixture; and 0-10 volume % of cubic boron nitride; and the binder phase contains at least one kind selected from the group consisting of: at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Al, Co, Ni and Si; and a compound of the element and at least one element selected from the group consisting of C, N, O and B.

A polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, PCBN, material is provided. The material comprises between 30 and 90 weight percent cubic boron nitride (cBN) and a matrix material in which the cBN particles are dispersed. The matrix material comprises particles of an aluminium compound; the matrix material particles having a d50 when measured using a linear intercept technique of no more than 100 nm.

A moulding tool for powder injection moulding a cemented carbide or cermet component includes a through hole. The moulding tool further includes at least a first and a second tool part arranged to define at least one mould cavity for forming a component. At least one inlet channel introduces moulding material into the mould cavity. The inlet channel extends through the first tool part to the mould cavity, and has an outlet end having an outlet opening for discharging moulding material from the inlet channel into the mould cavity. At least one core forms a through hole in the component, the core having an end and being arranged to extend into the mould cavity along a longitudinal axis (X) in a direction towards the outlet opening of the inlet channel. The end of the core is arranged to close the outlet opening of the inlet channel and the core is arranged movably along the longitudinal axis (X) such that the end of the core may engage with the outlet opening of the inlet channel.

A moulding tool for powder injection moulding a cemented carbide or cermet component includes a through hole. The moulding tool further includes at least a first and a second tool part arranged to define at least one mould cavity for forming a component. At least one inlet channel introduces moulding material into the mould cavity. The inlet channel extends through the first tool part to the mould cavity, and has an outlet end having an outlet opening for discharging moulding material from the inlet channel into the mould cavity. At least one core forms a through hole in the component, the core having an end and being arranged to extend into the mould cavity along a longitudinal axis (X) in a direction towards the outlet opening of the inlet channel. The end of the core is arranged to close the outlet opening of the inlet channel and the core is arranged movably along the longitudinal axis (X) such that the end of the core may engage with the outlet opening of the inlet channel.

A joined body according to the invention is a ceramic/aluminum joined body including: a ceramic member; and an aluminum member made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, in which the ceramic member and the aluminum member are joined to each other, the ceramic member is formed of silicon nitride containing magnesium, and a joining layer in which magnesium is contained in an aluminum-silicon-oxygen-nitrogen compound is formed at a joining interface between the ceramic member and the aluminum member.

A cBN sintered compact includes a binder phase that contains a TiAl alloy containing at least one of the Si, Mg, and Zn elements, Ti.sub.2CN, TiB.sub.2, AlN, and Al.sub.2O.sub.3; the ratio I.sub.Ti2CN/I.sub.TiAl is 2.0 or more and 30.0 or less, wherein I.sub.Ti2CN represents the intensity of the Ti.sub.2CN peak appearing at 2? from 41.9? to 42.2? and I.sub.TiAl represents the intensity of the TiAl alloy peak appearing at 2? from 39.0? to 39.3? in XRD; and, in the mapped image of each element of Ti, Al, Si, Mg, and Zn by Auger electron spectroscopy, the ratio S.sub.TiAlM/S.sub.TiAl, is 0.05 or more and 0.98 or less wherein S.sub.TiAlM represents the average area of the portions wherein Ti, Al and at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Mg, and Zn overlap and S.sub.TiAl represents the average area of the portions where Ti and Al overlap.

CERMET fuel element includes a fuel meat of consolidated ceramic fuel particles (preferably refractory-metal coated HALEU fuel kernels) and an array of axially-oriented coolant flow channels. Formation and lateral positions of coolant flow channels in the fuel meat are controlled during manufacturing by spacer structures that include ceramic fuel particles. In one embodiment, a coating on a sacrificial rod (the rod being subsequently removed) forms the coolant channel and the spacer structures are affixed to the coating; in a second embodiment, a metal tube forms the coolant channel and the spacer structures are affixed to the metal tube. The spacer structures laterally position the coolant channels in spaced-apart relation and are consolidated with the ceramic fuel particles to form CERMET fuel meat of a fuel element, which are subsequently incorporated into fuel assemblies that are distributively arranged in a moderator block within a nuclear fission reactor, in particular for propulsion.

A disc cutter for a cutting unit used in an undercutting operation and a method of producing the same. The disc cutter including an annular disc body made of a metal alloy or metal matrix composite having a first side, a second side arranged substantially opposite to the first side and a radially peripheral part. At least one metal alloy, metal matrix composite or cemented carbide cutting part is mounted in and substantially encircling the radially peripheral part of the disc body which protrudes outwardly therefrom to engage with the rock during the mining operation. The at least one cutting part is made from a material having a higher wear resistance than the material used for the disc body, wherein the disc body and the cutting part are joined by diffusion bonds.