Novel industrial hardmetals for mining, construction and wear applications

WC-Co hardmetals for mining, construction and wear applications are subjected to intensive abrasive wear, high impact loads, elevated temperatures, and severe thermal and mechanical fatigue. Novel hardmetal grades for such applications were developed, carefully tuned, up-scaled and implemented in industry. They include (1) functionally graded hardmetals, (2) ultra-coarse hardmetals with nano-grain reinforced binder and (3) near-nano hardmetals. The novel hardmetals are characterized by the tailored microstructure, composition and properties optimized for specific applications. They are widely employed for manufacturing various tools and wear parts and possess significantly improved performance properties in comparison with conventional WC-Co hardmetals.