Study on Microstructure and Properties of WC-Co and WC-Ni-Fe Cemented Carbides with Different Binder Phase Contents

Two groups of WC-Co and WC-Ni-Fe cemented carbides with varying binder phase contents were prepared using the same process. The research explored the trends in the microstructure changes and the differences in properties between WC-Co and WC-Ni-Fe cemented carbides. The results show that the binder phase of both WC-Co and WC-Ni-Fe cemented carbides exhibits a single-phase structure. As the binder phase content in the alloy increases, there is an increase in average grain size and a decrease in hardness and coercive magnetic force. Additionally, cobalt magnetism, bending strength, and impact toughness all exhibit upward trends. In comparison, the WC-Co cemented carbide exhibits higher coercive cobalt magnetism, magnetic force, and bending strength than WC-Ni-Fe cemented carbide. However, WC-Ni-Fe cemented carbide exhibits better impact toughness with a higher binder phase content, reaching up to 5.9 J/cm2. The frictional behavior of WC-Co and WC-Ni-Fe cemented carbides is similar, but the wear degree of the alloys gradually increases as the binder phase content increases. When the contents of binder phase content are the same, the wear resistance of WC-Co cemented carbide is superior to that of WC-Ni-Fe cemented carbide.