FRACTURE-TOUGHNESS OF 2-PHASE WC-CO CERMETS

The present analysis is an attempt to show that fracture toughness of cermets based on WC-Co and the like can be predicted with reasonable accuracy from a simple fracture mechanics relationship. The resistance to fracture has been considered to manifest primarily from the plastic deformation of Co phase. The constrained deformation behavior of the ductile Co phase between the rigid WC grains, approximated to the behavior of ideal plastic flow of a ductile layer sandwiched between rigid platens, has been incorporated into the fracture toughness predictions. Reasonable assumptions on in situ flow and fracture behavior of Co phase have been made in such estimations. Comparison of the calculated fracture toughness values with the experimental data of a large number of WC-Co systems of varying microstructural conditions, indicates reasonable agreement.