Processing of ZrO2 strengthened and toughened WC matrix composites based on ML

Abstract

Binderless WC matrix cemented carbide was considered a novel material with the potential to replace WC-Co cemented carbide. However, current research was insufficient to address the trade-off between strength, toughness, and strength in binderless WC matrix cemented carbide. In this work, the machine learning was employed to estimate mechanical property and optimize the composition of WC matrix cemented carbide. WC-MgO-ZrO2 composites were successfully developed with uniform microstructure and excellent mechanical properties. The experimental results showed that the grain size of WC reached 1.05μm where the mass fraction of ZrO2 was 2%. The WC-MgO-2 wt%ZrO2 composite exhibited superior Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, and flexural fracture strength, which were 1851HV, 11.2 MPa·m1/2 and 1368 MPa, respectively. The fracture mode of WC-MgO-ZrO2 composites was mainly a mixture of transgranular fracture and intergranular fracture. The main toughening mechanisms were crack deflection, crack bridging, grain pull out and phase transformation. The comprehensive mechanical properties of WC-MgO-2 wt%ZrO2 composites rank at a superior level compared to similar binderless WC matrix composites reported in the current literature. Meanwhile, the wear behaviors of WC-MgO-ZrO2 composites were examined under three different loads. And the wear behavior and mechanism of WC MgO-2 wt% ZrO2 composite were revealed.