Strengthening cemented carbides by activated nano TaC

In this study, activated nano TaC was introduced into WC-Co cemented carbides to enhance their comprehensive performance properties. Changes of mechanical properties, elements distributions, phase constitutions and microstructures of the cemented carbides were examined as a function of TaC amount. It was found that due to the addition of activated nano TaC, nanoscale Co-rich particles and cubic-Ta4C3 precipitates were induced and dispersed within WC grains, which had good coherent interfacial relationship with the hard matrix. The combined strengthening effects of the nano precipitates and solid solution in WC resulted in excellent comprehensive mechanical properties of the cemented carbides. Particularly, the rupture strength has achieved the highest among those of the counterparts reported in the literature so far. This study opens a new perspective to use activated nano compound particles to modulate hard phases of cermet materials for high comprehensive performance.

Automated summary

By introducing activated nano TaC, the comprehensive properties of WC-Co cemented carbides were enhanced, forming nanoscale Co-rich particles and cubic-Ta4C3 precipitates. The combined strengthening effects resulted in excellent comprehensive mechanical properties, with the rupture strength achieving the highest level reported so far among similar materials in the literature.