Effect of SiC nanowhisker addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of regenerated cemented carbides by low-pressure sintering

The hardness and toughness of regenerated cemented carbides, in general, are contradictory. Therefore, it is critical to explore regenerated cemented carbides with both high hardness and high toughness. In this study, regenerated WC-8-wt% Co cemented carbide with SiC nanowhisker were prepared by low-pressure sintering. The influence of SiCw contents on the microstructure and mechanical properties of regenerated WC-8-wt% Co cemented carbide was investigated. The results indicated that the hardness, density, flexural strength, and fracture toughness of regenerated cemented carbide first increased and then decreased with the addition of SiCw. The Vickers hardness, density, flexural strength, and fracture toughness could reach 1575 HV, 14.6 g/cm³, 2204 MPa, 16.85 MPa·m^1/2, respectively, with SiCw content 0.5 wt%, which were increased by 14.4%, 0.7%, 12.2%, and 17.3%, respectively, when compared with the regenerated cemented carbide without SiCw. The lowest friction coefficient and the best wear resistance could be also reached when 0.5-wt% SiCw was added. The fracture mechanism of the regenerated cemented carbide contained both transgranular and intergranular fracture through the microscopic observation of fracture surface via scanning electron microscope.     

Effects of composite binder phase on microstructure and mechanical properties of ultrafine-grained cemented carbides

In order to develop a new high-performance binder phase, four different alloys Co-Ni-Fe, Co-Ni-Cr, Co-Ni-Nb, and AlCoCrNiNb_0.5 were used as a binder in cemented carbides. The room-temperature mechanical properties and high-temperature flexural strength of cemented carbides were studied. The results show that the optimal mechanical properties for the WC-8(Co-Ni-Fe, Co-Ni-Cr, Co-Ni-Nb, and AlCoCrNiNb_0.5) can be obtained at the sintering temperatures of 1200°C, 1350°C, 1350°C, and 1300°C, respectively. Compared with cemented carbides with Co as binder phase, the hardness of the four kinds of alloys is increased, the WC grain size becomes finer, but the fracture toughness is slightly decreased. When the temperature is under 600°C, there is no visible oxidation of the four kinds of cemented carbides, and their bending strengths are basically not reduced. When the temperature increased from 600°C to 900°C, the WC-8(Co-Ni-Nb) and WC-8(Co-Ni-Fe) samples present the better high-temperature bending resistance compared with the WC-8(Co-Ni-Cr) and WC-8AlCoCrNiNb_0.5 samples, with respective decrease in bending strength of 11.7% and 7.3%.     

Mechanical surface treatments of electro-discharge machined (EDMed) ceramic composite for improved strength and reliability

To obtain size specification, ceramic composites often need to be machined, and these processes may lead to a decreased strength and reliability especially for electro-discharge machining (EDM). In this paper, two mechanical surface treatments, i.e. ultrasonic machining (USM) and abrasive blasting, have been introduced to restore and improve these properties for the electro-discharge machined (EDMed) surfaces of the toughened and electroconductive Al₂O₃/TiC/Mo/Ni ceramic composite. Comparison of the flexural strength of EDMed and modified specimens revealed that the modified specimens yielded an apparent strengthening with a concurrent increase in Weibull modulus. Microstructure analysis showed that the EDMed specimens of this composite had suffered severe surface damage. Abrasive blasting and ultrasonic machining are two effective procedures to reduce this damage and to minimize the surface contribution to fracture probability.     

Strength and Toughness Degradation of Tungsten Carbide–Cobalt Due to Thermal Shock

WC–Co composites are widely used as cutting or drilling tools because of their high hardness, strength, and fracture toughness. The working temperature is generally in the range of 300° to 700°C, so thermal shock fracture of WC–Co can occur if the parts are suddenly cooled. In this study, changes in fracture strength and fracture toughness after thermal shock were observed.     

Microstructure and properties of WC-8Co cemented carbides prepared by multiple spark plasma sintering

In this study, WC-8Co cemented carbides were prepared by spark plasma sintering. When the samples sintered at 1300℃ were cooled to room temperature, the samples were sintered multiple times at 1250℃. The changes in microstructure and mechanical properties of WC-8Co cemented carbides prepared by multiple spark plasma sintering were studied. The hardness of cemented carbides increased in the first two sintering, reaching 16.5 GPa. However, the hardness decreased seriously in the last two sintering. The attenuation rates of hardness were 6.2% and 2.5% due to the abnormal coarse grains. Furthermore, the crack path along the grain boundary was almost straight, causing a decrease in the indentation fracture toughness of cemented carbides. Additionally, the grains of cemented carbides were abnormally coarsened, and the morphologies of grains became unstable due to multiple sintering.     

Effects of GNP on the mechanical properties and sliding wear of WC-10wt%Co cemented carbide

WC-10Co cemented carbides reinforced with 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 wt% graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) were fabricated by ball milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure, structural and phase analysis, hardness, and fracture toughness of WC-10Co/GNP composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and Vickers indenter. Tribological behaviors of the fabricated composites against an alumina counterface were studied using a pin on disk configuration. It was found that GNP refined the microstructure, increased the fracture toughness, and postponed the stable-to-unstable friction transition. While transgranular fracture and crack deflection were observed in the base composite, crack bridging, micro-crack formation, and crack deflection were the major toughening mechanisms in GNP-reinforced cemented carbides. The addition of 1 wt% GNP resulted in the highest hardness and wear resistance. However, at higher GNP contents, both hardness and wear resistance decreased due to the agglomeration of GNPs. Widespread abrasive grooving and Co binder extrusion were characterized as the main controlling mechanisms of wear in GNP-free cemented carbides. The wear of GNP-reinforced cemented carbides was dominated by the formation of a lubricating surface layer and its cracking or fragmentation. Plastic flow is much less likely to occur in the presence of GNPs.     

Microstructure and Abrasive Wear of Binderless Carbides

The microstructure and the abrasive wear characteristics of two binderless carbides (WC–Mo₂C and WC–TiC–TaC) have been studied. The microstructural analysis identified differences in the amount of mixing between the γ-phase and WC. Mo₂C and WC showed a large tendency to form mixed carbides, whereas WC and TiC did not. In both materials grain boundary segregation of metallic species was found. Compared with alumina ceramics and WC–6 wt% Co the WC–Mo₂C material showed the lowest abrasion rate and WC–TiC–TaC an intermediate. The wear mechanism was surprisingly ductile for WC–Mo₂C, whereas WC–TiC–TaC suffered from grain pullout of TiC.     

Effects of Postdeposition Treatments on the Mechanical Properties of a Chemical-Vapor-Deposited Silicon Carbide

The influence of different postdeposition treatments such as water quench and thermal heating in air, nitrogen, and vacuum on mechanical properties of chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) silicon carbide was investigated. The results showed that these postdeposition treatments increased the flexural strength by as much as 60% but did not significantly change other properties such as hardness and fracture toughness. The strength increase was achieved by treatments performed in both the oxidizing and nonoxidizing environments. Compressive residual stresses in CVD SiC increased because of these treatments, but this increase was not large enough to explain fully the observed increase in the flexural strength. It is proposed that these thermal treatments led to strength increase via healing of surface machining flaws. Thermal treatments in nonoxodizing environments reduced or blunted the flaws through the rearrangement of atoms and restoration of damaged crystal structure in SiC, while in oxidizing environments, passive oxidation may have served as an additional flaw healing mechanism.     

Microstructure,mechanical properties,and cutting performances of WC-Co cemented carbides with Ru additions

In this study, the microstructure, mechanical properties, and cutting performance of WC-8Co cemented carbide with different Ru additions were studied in detail. The results show that Ru can inhibit the abnormal growth of WC grains and the mean grain size of WC grains decreases. Ru can result in the lattice distortion of Co phases and promote the phase transition of Co from face-centered cubic (FCC) to hexagonal closepacked (HCP) as Ru can reduce the stacking fault energy of Co phases. The proportion of HCP Co phases increased from 14.4 to 39.6% with increasing Ru content. Meanwhile, among the five groups of cemented carbides with different Ru additions, cemented carbides with 1.5 wt% Ru exhibit the highest hardness of 1382 HV and transverse rupture strength (TRS) of 3790 MPa. The enhanced hardness and TRS were due to solid solution strengthening and phase transition of Co, respectively. The fracture toughness of cemented carbide was enhanced from 16 MPa m^−1/2 with 0 wt% Ru to 19 MPa m^−1/2 with 0.5 wt% Ru. Additionally, during the dry cutting of Ti–6Al–4V, the diffusion of Ti and Al elements is hindered. Therefore, the wear resistance of the tools is improved. The cutting lifetime of the cemented carbide tools with 0.5 wt% Ru increased three-fold compared to those without Ru addition.     

Effects of carbothermal prereduction temperature and Co content on mechanical properties of WC–Co cemented carbides

WC–Co cemented carbides were prepared via an in situ synthesis method, including the carbothermal prereduction of WO₃ and Co₂O₃ to remove all oxygen and a subsequent carbonization-vacuum sintering process. The experimental results revealed that as the prereduction temperature increased from 1000 to 1200°C, the grain sizes of WC in WC–6Co and WC–12Co cemented carbides increased from .91 to 1.09 and .97 to 1.19 μm, respectively. Further, the fracture toughness of the sintered WC–6Co and WC–12Co cemented carbides increased from 9.97 to 10.83 and 11.11 to 18.30 MPa m^1/2, respectively. In contrast, the hardness of the WC–6Co and WC–12Co cemented carbides decreased from 1477 to 1368 and 1351 to 1184 HV₃₀, respectively. For a given prereduction temperature, an increase in Co content can improve the fracture toughness while lowering the hardness. In addition, an increase in the prereduction temperature or Co content led to an increase in the grain size of WC, which resulted in a transgranular fracture as the dominant mode.     

Effect of the Cubic Phase Distribution on Ultrafine WC–10Co–0.5Cr–xTa Cemented Carbide

The (Ta, W)C cubic phase distribution plays a key role in the microstructure and mechanical properties of ultrafine WC–Co–Cr₃C₂–TaC cemented carbides. By integration of thermodynamic calculations and key experiments, the influence of the cubic phase distribution in ultrafine WC–10Co–0.5Cr–xTa cemented carbides was systematically investigated. A series of ultrafine grained cemented carbides were designed and fabricated through ball‐milling and vacuum sintering at 1410°C for 1 h. The microstructure was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) was used to measure the orientation and size of cubic phase segregation. The results indicate that the cubic phase in the microstructure distributes more heterogeneously in the range of 0.2 to 0.7 wt% Ta addition, but finally the isolated cubic phase is homogeneously distributed with a Ta content from 0.7 to 1 wt%. Combining the thermodynamic calculation with the experiment, the mechanism for the microstructure evolution has been revealed. The mechanical properties of alloys substantially depend on the cubic phase distribution in the microstructure. A synergetic correlation between the transverse rupture strength (TRS) and Rockwell hardness was observed. The homogeneity of cubic phase can be designed and controlled effectively via the present approach.     

Carbon contents design and characterization of gradient cemented carbonitrides with nano-TiN addition

Gradient cemented carbonitrides with brittle cubic phase depleted in the surface layer were prepared in the paper. This gradient material is believed to be a promising composite used as the substrate of a coated insert for machining operation. The formation of gradient layers stems from nitrogen decomposition. In this paper, nano-TiN was introduced as a nitrogen supplier, and besides it functioned as a grain growth inhibitor of (Ti,W)C cubic phase. The microstructure, fracture morphology, mechanical and magnetic properties of the gradient cemented carbonitrides with carbon contents from 6.04wt% to 6.34 wt% were investigated systematically. The results show that lattice parameters of (Ti,W)C in the transit zone increase due to more Ti solid solution when the gradient layer thickens. (Ti,W)C grains in the inner bulk are refined effectively by nano-TiN. Intergranular fracture along WC grain, transgranular fracture of (Ti,W)C grains, and the tearing of binder are found in the bulk of the gradient cemented carbonitride. When cracks encounter the gradient layer, they grow from new origins and a macroscopic boundary is formed between the gradient layer and the bulk. The transverse rupture strength is promoted with the carbon contents increased, and its stability is also increased. Additionally, the microhardness of the gradient cemented carbonitride is correlated closely with the Ti and Co distribution.     

Tool life and wear of WC–TiC–Co ultrafine cemented carbide during dry cutting of AISI H13 steel

WC–5TiC–10Co ultrafine cemented carbides were prepared and used for the cutting tool for AISI H13 hardened steel. The effect of cutting parameters on the tool life and tool wear mechanism was investigated, and conventional cemented carbide with the same composition and medium grain size were prepared for comparison. The results showed that WC–5TiC–10Co ultrafine cemented carbides possess higher hardness and transverse rupture strength, and showed better cutting performance than conventional insert with the same cutting condition. Tool life was analyzed by an extended Taylor's tool life equation, indicating that cutting speed played a profound effect on the tool life and wear behavior of both cutting inserts. SEM and EDS analysis revealed that there were major adhesive wear and minor abrasive wear on the rake of WC–5TiC–10Co ultrafine inserts, and increase of cutting speed resulted in a transition from abrasion predominant wear mechanism to adhesive wear on the flank face. As for the conventional inserts, there were combination of more serious abrasive and adhesive wear on the rake and flank. The favorable cutting performance of ultrafine WC–5TiC–10Co inserts was attributed to the higher hardness and less thermal softening during machining.     

Effects of powder preparation and sintering temperature on consolidation of ultrafine WC-8Co tool material produced by spark plasma sintering

In this study, ultrafine tool materials were produced by spark plasma sintering using three sets of WC-8Co nanopowders mixed by different methods. Effects of powder preparation method and sintering temperature on the consolidation of WC-8Co cemented carbides were investigated. At sintering temperature of 1250 °C, cemented carbide sintered from the powder mixed by ultrasonic vibration method exhibited homogeneous microstructure, high relative density (99.1%), small average grain size (280 nm), and excellent mechanical properties (H_V: 18.8 GPa, K_IC: 11.4 MPa⋅m^1/2). However, cemented carbide sintered from heavily ball-milled powder (ball milling for 24 h) showed increased grain coalescence and microdefects as well as lower relative density of 94.6%. Moreover, its hardness decreased to 17.7 GPa due to the decrease in relative density. Furthermore, straight cracks along grain boundary became dominant, causing fracture toughness to decrease to 10.5 MPa⋅m^1/2. Additionally, high sintering temperature caused grain coarsening, which was detrimental to mechanical properties of cemented carbides.     

Influence of the microstructure on the thermal shock behavior of cemented carbides

The influence of single and repetitive sudden changes of temperature on the mechanical integrity of cemented carbides was investigated as a function of their microstructure. Thermal shock resistance was assessed by testing the residual flexural strength of hardmetal beams after being subjected to thermal shock by water quenching. Results indicate that hard cemented carbides tend to exhibit a superior resistance to the nucleation of thermal shock damage but a lower resistance to the propagation of this damage mechanism than tough grades, and vice versa. These trends are in agreement with those expected from the evaluation of the thermal shock Hasselman’s parameters. The evidenced strength loss after thermal shock may be related to the subcritical growth of intrinsic flaws driven by localized microcracking surrounding them. Results also point out on Ni-base hardmetals to exhibit a slightly higher resistance to abrupt changes of temperature than Co-base ones.     

Cutting edge damage in grinding of cemented carbides micro end mills

Micro mills are widely applied in the micro manufacturing and mainly fabricated using the grinding method. Cutting edges have significant influences on the performance of micro mills such as the micro mill life and machining quality. In this paper, the cutting edge damage mechanisms in the grinding of cemented carbides micro mills are investigated. The micro end mills grinding experiments are carried out and the cutting edge maximum edge damage width and surface roughness of the end teeth flank are measured. The results show that the micro fractures and micro cracks are generated in the cutting edge following micro pits in the grinding surface. The grain size and composition of cemented carbides have significant impacts on the damage of the cutting edge. The maximum edge damage width increases with the increase of Co binder content and WC grain sizes. However, a better flank quality with less micro pits is obtained as the reduction of Co binder content and grain size of WC.     

Effects of (Ti,Ta,Nb,W)(C,N) on the microstructure,mechanical properties and corrosion behaviors of WC-Co cemented carbides

Homogeneous solid-solution (Ti, Ta, Nb,W)(C,N) powders were synthesized through carbothermal reduction-nitridation method. The effects of (Ti, Ta, Nb,W)(C,N) powders on the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of WC-10Co cemented carbides were investigated using XRD, SEM, electrochemical test and mechanical properties tests. The results showed that cemented carbides with pre-alloyed powder addition had a similar microstructure appearance: weak core/rim structure consisting of solid-solution phase embedded in the WC-Co system. The black core and gray rim, both of which contained similar elements, were identified as (Ti, Ta, Nb,W)(C,N), but the latter contained higher amount of heavy elements.With the addition of (Ti, Ta, Nb,W)(C,N) powders, the density, transverse rupture strength and fracture toughness of samples decreased monotonously. However, the hardness rose sharply at first, reached a peak at 15 wt% solid-solution addition, then slightly decreased, and finally increased again. Results also revealed that increasing (Ti, Ta, Nb,W)(C,N) made the open circuit potential (OCP) in 1 M sulphuric acid solution more negative than that of WC-Co, and all specimens exhibited pseudo-passivation phenomenon in the test solution. In addition, increasing pre-alloyed powders led to decreasing corrosion current density, which implies that (Ti, Ta, Nb,W)(C,N) could remarkably improve the corrosion resistance of WC-Co cemented carbides.     

Effect of carbon content on microstructure and mechanical properties of WC-10Co cemented carbides with plate-like WC grain

Four sets of WC-10Co cemented carbides with different carbon content were prepared by adding the ultrafine WC powders as seeds during the in-situ sintering reaction among W, Co and C. The effect of carbon content on microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that the microstructure, phase composition and mechanical properties of WC-10Co cemented carbides with plate-like WC grains were seriously affected by the carbon content. The fast growth of WC grains with high carbon content could proceed the prismatic plane preferentially along the <1 0 $1(-)$ 0> directions, resulting in the high content of plate-like WC grains. The density increased with the increment of the carbon content and reached the maximum value, then, followed by a decline. The hardness and the transverse rupture strength of the alloy in the two-phase zone with carbon content of 5.91 wt% reached the maximum value. The existence of plate-like WC grains could impede the propagation of the cracks due to the decrease of the weakest carbide regions and the increase of the basal facets of broken WC crystals. In this case, more fracture energy was required to crack propagation and further improved the transverse rupture strength. Additionally, the plate-like WC was benefit to reduce the wear volume and bring about a better wear resistance. Thus, the alloy with the appropriate proportion of carbon content can obtain higher mechanical properties and wear resistance.     

Fabrication of WC-Co cemented carbides with gradient distribution of WC grain size and Co composition by lamination pressing and microwave sintering

WC-Co composite powders with different particle sizes and Co contents were prepared by ball milling WC and Co powder mixtures for different durations. Functionally graded WC-Co cemented carbides with both Co content and WC grain size gradient were prepared by lamination pressing different WC-xCo (x?=?10, 15, 20) powder mixtures and microwave sintering the layered compacts. The WC-xCo powder mixtures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and the phase composition and microstructure of the functionally graded cemented carbides (FGCCs) were investigated by XRD, and FE-SEM coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Mechanical behaviors of the layered WC-Co materials were measured and compared with those of WC-Co cemented carbides with single composition. The results showed that increasing the milling time from 6 to 24?h, results in the decrease of the particle size of WC-Co composite powders from 0.31 to 0.11?µm. After lamination pressing and microwave sintering, the WC-Co samples show nearly complete densification with a relative density higher than 99.7% and no ?-phase was detected in the FGCCs. The Co content and WC grain size in FGCCs decrease from the core to the surface. Homogenization of Co has hardly occurred and no cracks have formed between the layers in the sintered samples. In the inner layer, the mean WC grain size is 529?nm, while in the outer layer it is only 274?nm. Because of the difference in Co content and WC grain size, FGCCs have a Rockwell hardness of 90.75 HRA at the surface, which decreases to 86.75 HRA in the core. However the fracture toughness increases from 11.53 at the surface to 18.12?MPa?m^?1/2 in the core. The present results show that FGCCs with high outer layer hardness and high inner layer toughness were successfully prepared.     

Fabrication and performances of WC-Co cemented carbide with a low cobalt content

WC-Co cemented carbides with a low cobalt content (≤3 wt.%) were successfully manufactured by the powder metallurgy method. The cobalt content is lower than conventional cemented carbide (3–30 wt.%), which makes the prepared alloys possess excellent hardness. The effects of cobalt content on the densification behavior, phase composition, micromorphology, and mechanical performances of cemented carbides were investigated in detail. The results revealed that all the sintered alloys were almost completely consolidated with a relative density of greater than 98.0%. Moreover, abnormal grain growth was observed, and the inhomogeneity of WC grains decreased with the increment in cobalt content. In order to obtain cemented carbides with homogeneous microstructure and outstanding performances, VC was added to inhibit grain growth. Microstructure and performances were significantly affected by the addition of VC. The maximum Vickers hardness of cemented carbides without the addition of vanadium was 2234 HV30, while the fracture toughness was 7.96 MPa·m^1/2 after sintering WC-2 wt.%Co. After adding VC, the ultimate hardness and fracture toughness of WC-3 wt.%Co-0.5 wt.%VC alloy could reach 2200 HV30 and 8.61 MPa·m^1/2, respectively. In addition, the obvious crack deflexion and transgranular behavior can be noticed, which can prevent the extension of crack and achieve an increase in fracture toughness of cemented carbides.