Grain boundary character distributions of sigma2 boundaries in WC–Co composites with different cobalt volume fractions

The grain boundary character distributions of sigma2 grain boundaries were investigated in WC–Co samples with different cobalt volume fractions. Specimens were prepared with cobalt fractions of 6 wt%, 8 wt% and 10 wt% respectively. The electron backscattered diffraction measurements show that with the increase of the cobalt fraction, the population of sigma2 boundaries decreases and sigma2 twist boundary keeps as the most common boundary type. The result suggests that the cobalt volume fraction could be determinant in controlling the population of sigma2 grain boundaries in cemented carbides.