WC-TiC-Ni cemented carbide with enhanced properties

In the paper, the effect of Ni content, WC grain size and Mo2C addition on WC-6.25 wt%TiC-9.3 wt%Ni cemented carbide were investigated to improve the properties of Ni-bonded cemented carbides. The results show that the decrease of Ni content will result in the decrease of transverse rupture strength and increase of hardness; with the decrease of WC particle size, hardness increases due to the refinement of WC grains, however, the transverse rupture strength decrease due to the decrease of Ni binder thickness; Mo2C proves to be an effective grain growth inhibitor. With the increase of Mo2C content, the WC grains are refined and the hardness and transverse rupture strength are improved. Generally, when the Ni content is decreased to 8.4 wt%, 13.45 μm WC is used and 1.2 wt% Mo2C is added, a higher hardness and transverse rupture strength of 90.6 HRA and 1900 MPa can be achieved. The results obtained in this study extend the knowledge on Ni-bonded cemented carbide.