Mapping of mechanical properties at microstructural length scale in WC-Co cemented carbides: Assessment of hardness and elastic modulus by means of high speed massive nanoindentation and statistical analysis

This paper studies the correlation between the microstructure and the mechanical properties at the nanometric length scale of individual WC grains as well as the metallic cobalt binder in cemented carbide systems. The local crystallographic orientation has been determined by electron backscattered diffraction and the microstructural analysis has been performed using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Small-scale hardness and elastic modulus have been assessed by means of high speed massive nanoindentation and subsequent statistical analysis. The attained mechanical property mappings present a clear correlation between local hardness and stiffness with chemical nature for each constitutive phase as well as with the crystallographic orientation for the WC particles. Besides expected findings associated with individual phases, such as clear anisotropy of the ceramic phase (basal plane being harder and stiffer than the prismatic one) and relatively high flow stress for constrained binder, the protocol implemented provides novel information on local mechanical response at interfaces between ceramic particles with different orientations as well as regions within the metallic cobalt binder close to the WC-Co interface.