Abstract
Microstructure, hardness, transverse rupture strength, and abrasion resistance of WC-10 wt% Co cemented carbides modified with the addition of different mass fraction of Cr3C2, in the range of 0–3 wt%, are studied. The influence of the microstructure, composition and hardness on the mechanical properties and wear resistance is analysed. Considering that the material under investigation can be used as die for the extrusion process of hard ceramic materials, the tribological behaviour was evaluated by performing sliding wear tests in wet conditions using a block-on-ring tribometer. Wear mechanism principally based on binder removal and subsequent fragmentation and microabrasion of the WC grains is proposed. Carbide grain size and bulk hardness can be tuned as function of specific applications by adding different amounts of Cr3C2. In particular, increasing hardness and reducing grain size by the addition of Cr3C2 are demonstrated to considerably enhance the wear performance of these carbides.
Highlights
WC-Co cemented carbides are known for their excellent properties and extraordinary resistance to heat even after long-term exposure to high temperatures [1,2,3,4]
It is known that it is possible to adjust the final properties of WC-Co alloys to fit each specific application by varying the binder content [12], the grain size, or by using additives as: chromium carbide (Cr3 C2 ) [13,14], nickel or vanadium carbide (VC) [9,14,15]
Almond and Roebuck [17] found that the wear performance of the WC-Co hardmetal increases dramatically as the grain size is reduced to nanometre scale
Summary
WC-Co cemented carbides are known for their excellent properties and extraordinary resistance to heat even after long-term exposure to high temperatures [1,2,3,4] Their outstanding mix of strength, wear resistance, hardness and toughness is the result of the combination of the hard carbides and the ductile metallic binder [5,6,7]. Cr3 C2 has been used in small amounts in WC-Co cemented carbides as an inhibitor of grain growth [16] Other properties, such as hardness, magnetic coercivity and transverse rupture strength (TRS), have been found to be affected by the addition of Cr3 C2 [15,18]. Correlations between volume loss, microstructure, hardness, and TRS were determined
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