Interface Character Distributions in WC–Co Composites

The geometric and crystallographic characteristics of interfaces in WC–Co composites with a range of grain sizes and carbide volume fractions have been comprehensively characterized. The carbide crystals are most frequently terminated by (0001) and     surfaces. The average number of carbide vertices per grain and the basal-to-prismatic face area ratio of the WC–Co interfaces increase with the carbide volume fraction. The three most frequently occurring WC/WC grain boundaries are 90° twist boundaries about     , 30° twist boundaries about 0001], and asymmetric 90° boundaries about     . The boundary populations do not vary with grain size or carbide volume fraction, suggesting that they are determined by the grain boundary energy anisotropy.