Phase-field simulation of liquid phase migration in the WC-Co system during liquid phase sintering

Liquid phase sintering is a process for forming high performance, multiple-phase components from powders. The process includes very complex interactions between various mass transportation phenomena, among which the liquid phase migration represents an important one in the aspect of forming a gradient structure in cemented carbide. In the present work, phase-field simulation of the liquid phase migration phenomenon during liquid phase sintering is performed in the WC-Co based cemented carbide. The simulation results are analyzed and compared with the experimentally determined key factors of microstructural evolution, such as contiguity and liquid phase migration rate. The diffusion-controlled solution-precipitation mechanism of the liquid phase migration process in the cemented carbide system is confirmed from the current simulation result, which provides deeper understanding of the microstructural evolution during the liquid phase migration process. These simulations can offer guidance in preventing the liquid phase migration process during liquid phase sintering of cellular cemented carbide.