What is a Steel-Bonded Cemented Carbide Flow Disc?

The hard phase (tungsten carbide or titanium carbide) of steel-bonded cemented carbide generally accounts for 30%-50% of the total mass of the alloy, and the rest is the steel matrix. Since the steel matrix accounts for a large proportion and the properties of steel are more obvious, it can be processed by forging and heat treatment. After powder mixing, pressing, sintering, forging, cutting, heat treatment and other processes, steel-bonded cemented carbide products of various specifications and shapes can be obtained.
Steel-bonded cemented carbide processed into flow discs has the hardness and wear resistance of carbides and the good mechanical properties of steel, and is mainly used as wear-resistant parts and machine components.

What is steel-bonded cemented carbide?
Steel-bonded cemented carbide is an alloy material with refractory metal hard compounds as hard phases and steel as bonding phases, and has a series of excellent properties of hard compounds and steel. Generally speaking, the proportion of hard compounds is 30%-50%, and the rest is the steel matrix. Common hard compounds include tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, titanium nitride, etc.
Steel-bonded cemented carbide has the excellent properties of ordinary cemented carbide, such as high melting point, high strength, high hardness, high elastic modulus, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance and oxidation resistance, as well as the good properties of steel, such as machinability, heat treatability, forgeability, weldability and toughness.

The production process of steel-bonded cemented carbide includes powder metallurgy and hot isostatic pressing.
Powder metallurgy: one is to prepare raw material powder, the second is to form the powder into a blank of the required shape, the third is the sintering of the blank, and the fourth is the post-processing of the product. The advantages are saving raw materials, reducing production costs, high product purity, and suitable for producing products of the same shape and large quantities; the disadvantage is that the size of the parts must be considered when there is no batch.
Hot isostatic pressing: a method of placing the product in a closed container, applying equal pressure in all directions to the product while applying high temperature, so as to sinter and densify the product.
Steel-bonded carbide is used to make cutting tools, rock drilling tools, mining tools, drilling tools, measuring tools, wear-resistant parts, metal molds, cylinder liners, precision bearings, rocket nozzles, and hardware molds.

Main application areas:
1. Oil and gas industry
Steel-bonded carbide flow discs are very important in the oil and gas industry, especially for mud pumps and high-pressure fluid transmission equipment in drilling equipment.

Mud pump: During the drilling process, the mud pump needs to handle fluids containing a large amount of gravel and high-pressure corrosive liquids. Steel-bonded carbide flow discs can withstand extreme wear and corrosion environments, significantly extending the service life of the equipment.

Fluid control valves: During high-pressure oil and gas transmission, flow discs can be used in various control valves to ensure good sealing and fluid control accuracy under extreme conditions.

2. Mining machinery and mining industry
Mining equipment usually works in extremely harsh environments and is susceptible to strong wear from rocks and minerals. The high wear resistance and impact resistance of steel-bonded carbide flow discs make them very suitable for the following applications:
Mining machinery parts: such as key wear parts in crushers and screens, steel-bonded carbide flow discs can significantly reduce the frequency of equipment maintenance and improve production efficiency.
Slurry conveying equipment: In mine mud handling systems, flow discs can help ensure long-term efficient operation and reduce downtime due to parts wear.
3. Cement and concrete industry
In cement and concrete production, the high wear resistance of materials makes the durability of equipment crucial. Steel-bonded carbide flow discs are often used due to their high wear resistance and corrosion resistance:
Concrete pumps: Especially in the process of pumping high-strength and high-viscosity concrete, the flow disc needs to withstand extremely high pressure and wear. Steel-bonded carbide materials can effectively extend the service life of the equipment.
Fluid conveying equipment for cement production lines: such as slurry pumps, material conveying pumps, etc., by reducing equipment wear, improving the continuity and stability of the production line.
4. Chemical Industry
Many processes in the chemical industry involve highly corrosive and easily abrasive fluids or gases. Flow discs are widely used in various chemical delivery pumps, valves and piping systems:
Corrosion-resistant equipment: When handling chemicals such as acids and alkalis, steel-bonded carbide flow discs can not only withstand high-strength corrosive fluids, but also resist wear caused by particulate matter.
High-pressure reactors and chemical pumps: Steel-bonded carbide flow discs are often used in pump and valve systems under high-pressure conditions to ensure long-term stable operation of the equipment.
5. Power and Energy Industry
In energy facilities such as nuclear power plants, thermal power plants and hydropower plants, many conveying systems and regulating equipment need to withstand extremely high pressures and temperatures and operate for a long time. Steel-bonded carbide flow discs play an irreplaceable role in such equipment.
High-pressure boiler and turbine systems: Flow discs are used to control the flow of high-pressure steam and coolant to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the system.
Gas and hydropower generation equipment: Flow discs can effectively resist wear in high-temperature and high-pressure environments during the flow of high-pressure water or gas.
6. Aerospace and military fields
The aerospace field has extremely high requirements for the wear resistance, high temperature resistance and high strength of materials. Steel-bonded carbide flow discs are gradually being used in some key components due to their excellent comprehensive performance, such as:
Engine turbine blade adjustment device: The flow disc is used to control the flow of fuel or coolant, and it is required to withstand high temperature, high pressure and rapidly changing working conditions.
Precision control valve: used in the fuel control system of missiles or aircraft, which requires extremely high wear resistance and corrosion resistance.
7. Food and pharmaceutical industry
In the food processing and pharmaceutical industries, although the corrosiveness and pressure of fluids and gases are not as high as in other fields, strict requirements are required for the hygiene and wear resistance of equipment. Steel-bonded carbide flow discs can be used for:
Fluid control valves in food processing equipment: especially those that need to handle solid-liquid mixtures or granular substances with high abrasiveness.
Fluid conveying equipment in pharmaceutical factories: In the pharmaceutical process, high purity requirements and wear resistance make steel-bonded carbide flow discs an ideal choice for many key equipment.

Summary
Steel-bonded carbide flow discs are widely used in many fields such as oil and gas, mining machinery, chemicals, cement, energy, aerospace, food and pharmaceuticals due to their high strength, wear resistance and corrosion resistance. Not only can they maintain efficient and stable working conditions in harsh environments, but they also greatly reduce equipment maintenance costs and downtime. With the continuous advancement of material technology, the application prospects of steel-bonded carbide flow discs will be even broader in the future.