The wear of WC-Co drill bits during rotary-percussive drilling of reinforced concrete

•Extensive study covering all possible variables in this important industrial application•First published results of wear phenomena during percussive drilling of rebar

The wear mechanisms of WC-Co hardmetal drill bits during rotary-percussive drilling of reinforced concrete depend a number of factors such as the loading spectrum (thermo-mechanical stresses); workpiece material (type of concrete and reinforcement steel); hardmetal grade (WC-grainsize and Co-content); and drill bit geometry (design and location on the drill bit).Differences in wear mechanisms and wear intensity are evident, being highly dependent on the factors listed above. Additionally, the extreme conditions acting on the cutting edges during drilling of reinforcement steel (rebar) within the concrete induce significant microstructural and metallurgical changes within the near-surface regions of the drill bit.In this work, experimental studies have documented, analysed and quantified the active wear mechanisms in this complex and challenging application. A wide range of experimental variables have been investigated covering the large proportion of real-world cases encountered in the application of these drill bits on the construction site.