Fracture resistant super hard materials and hardmetals composite with functionally designed microstructure

Polycrystalline diamond and other hard materials are widely used in earth boring, mining, and construction tool applications. Chipping and fracture resistance is often improved by various means at the expense of hardness and wear resistance. This trade-off between wear resistance and chipping resistance hinders the development of hard and super hard materials for many industrial applications. A new approach, characterized as “hard materials composites with functionally designed microstructure” including polycrystalline diamond and cemented tungsten carbide, is discussed. The functionally designed microstructure offers enhanced chipping resistance and toughness without significantly sacrificing wear resistance.