Abrasion of cemented carbides by small grits

The abrasion properties of a series of cemented carbides with different carbide grain sizes, different amounts and types of binder phases have been investigated under varied conditions. Abrasion results from other works are also incorporated for comparison reasons. The results are interpreted in the light of a previously published model for the abrasion properties of multiphase materials, although this is the first time this model is applied to materials with very high amounts of hardphase. It is confirmed that the abrasion resistance of tungsten carbide–cobalt materials may vary considerably, also for fixed amounts of metal and hardphase. Not only the wear resistance level but also the ranking depends both on the test conditions and on the microstructure. It is further showed that some nano-crystalline materials posses a wear resistance superior to those of the pure carbide material.