Abstract: A radial bearing having a wear surface with improved wear characteristics comprises a steel support, to which is bonded a metal carbide composite wear surface made by first arranging, within a cavity defined between a steel mold and the steel support, tiles made of microwave sintered, cemented metal carbide, closely packing the voids between the tiles with metal carbide powder, and infiltrating the mold cavity with a metal brazing alloy by subjecting the filled mold to rapid heating. The brazing alloy fills voids between the metal carbide particles, the microwave sintered metal carbide tiles, and the metal support, thereby relatively rapidly consolidating the carbide into a wear layer bonded with the steel support without substantially damaging the properties of the microwave-sintered metal carbide tiles.

Abstract: A radial bearing having a wear surface with improved wear characteristics comprises a steel support, to which is bonded a metal carbide composite wear surface made by first arranging, within a cavity defined between a steel mold and the steel support, tiles made of microwave sintered, cemented metal carbide, closely packing the voids between the tiles with metal carbide powder, and infiltrating the mold cavity with a metal brazing alloy by subjecting the filled mold to rapid heating. The brazing alloy fills voids between the metal carbide particles, the microwave sintered metal carbide tiles, and the metal support, thereby relatively rapidly consolidating the carbide into a wear layer bonded with the steel support without substantially damaging the properties of the microwave-sintered metal carbide tiles.