Hot-isostatic-press joining of cemented carbides

Hot isostatic pressing (HIPing) is investigated as a technique for joining the cermet WC-15% Co to itself. Encapsulation of the specimens prior to HIPing was carried out using steel encapsulation, glass encapsulation, and self-encapsulation. The bonds were evaluated using a four-point-bend method. It is shown that the glass and steel encapsulation methods have a number of inherent problems which make them inappropriate for near net shape processing. In contrast the novel self-encapsulation method, described for the first time in this communication, is both simple and effective, producing joined material with bulk strength. The concept of self-encapsulation is potentially widely applicable for joining composite materials.