Simultaneous strengthening and toughening effects in WC–(nanoWC–Co)

Simultaneous hardening and toughening effects were found for WC–(nanoWC–Co) with microWC strengthening particles in nanoWC–Co cermet matrix. The high microhardness of 1683 ± 176 Hv comparable to that of nanoWC–12Co was attributed to the hardening effect from both microWC particles and nanoWC dispersion in the Co binder phase. The high fracture toughness of 18.9 ± 4.0 MPa m1/2, comparable to that of microstructured WC–12Co, resulted from the larger area of the bimodal-sized fracture surface morphology and the crack bridging due to the microsized strengthening WC particles.

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