In the manufacture of composites of sintered diamond and WC-Co support with a tantalum foil inserted between the two separate portions, the thin metallic layer serves to regulate the influx of molten metal inf iltrant to the diamond.
For investigating the function, shortened sintering tests were conducted under high pressure-high temperature conditions.
The results suggest that the tight structure of TaC, found on the WC-Co side of the foil contributes much to this function.