CEMENTED CARBIDE IMPARTED WITH LOW FRICTION ABILITY AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME, AND CEMENTED CARBIDE TOOL

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve lubricity of cemented carbide constituting a tool base while maintaining mechanical strength of the cemented carbide.SOLUTION: A cemented carbide imparted with low friction ability is provided. The cemented carbide includes a tungsten carbide (WC) and a binding metal binding particles of the WC and is imparted with low friction ability by forming crystal grains of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) in a dispersed state in the binding metal binding particles of the WC. The cemented carbide is produced from a material in which one kind selected from a group consisting of BO, HBO, h-BN, WB and TiBis dispersed and mixed as the B source in a powder mixture of the WC powder and the binding metal binding particles of the WC. The cemented carbide powder provided by dispersing and mixing the B source is compression-molded. The compression-molded article is subjected to a nitriding treatment under a nitrogen pressured atmosphere to be a cemented carbide in which crystal grains of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is formed in a dispersed state in the binding metal binding particles of the WC.