Wear Transition Mechanisms Of WC-Co Cemented Carbides During Sliding Contact Tests

Cemented carbides exhibit excellent wear resistance and good combination of hardness and toughness. These tribomechanical properties make them attractive for a wide range of industrial applications, where sliding contact response becomes key for optimizing performance of tools and components. Extensive studies have been conducted on wear behaviour of cemented carbides using different testing methods. However, a fundamental analysis of the sliding contact damage in the early stages is still a pending task, which can be helpful to improve the microstructural design. The aim of this work was to analyse the failure evolution of WC-Co cemented carbide under mild wear conditions. In doing so, hardmetals with different cobalt content were evaluated using single and multi-scratching tests. Transition mechanisms from cracking patterns to detachment of carbides|binder particles were discerned. Quasi-plastic and brittle failure mechanisms were documented by means of SEM and confocal inspection of both top- and cross-section surfaces of residual tracks.