Effective interface model for design and tailoring of WC-Co microstructures

Interface structures are a key feature in developing modern composite material solutions with ever improved performance. We present a nano-microstructural modelling approach for the tungsten carbide (WC)-Co system which can include the interface structures of WC-Co and various other phases present in the microstructure, utilising a methodology which combines imaging-based and synthetically generated nano-microstructures into an effective interface model for predicting the behaviour and properties of the resulting composite material. The effective model comprises of a local model of the WC/Co interface interacting with a larger-scale model of the WC-Co microstructure. The results provide a linkage between the interface character of cemented carbide microstructures and their properties, for example with respect to compressive strength, fracture toughness and wear resistance. The methodology presents a multiscale formalism for carrying out performance and application-driven evaluation and tailoring of composite interfaces and mesostructures, carried out on the basis of the emerging engineering material properties.