A dual composite of WC-Co

Hardness, fracture toughness, and wear resistance are strongly inter-related properties of cemented tungsten carbide. Higher hardness usually dictates higher wear resistance but at the cost of fracture toughness. A new dual composite of WC-Co, named DC carbide, is reported in this article. The new, hybrid, particulate composite material has higher fracture toughness than conventional WC-Co material at equivalent wear resistance. Moreover, it has higher wear resistance at equivalent fracture toughness when compared to tool steels. The improved properties are achieved by the composite microstructure that maximizes mean free path (MFP) between hard reinforcement particles. The new composite material is also unique in that the reinforcement phase is a composite material in and of itself.