抄録
A peculiar structure was found to develop around Vickers hardness indentation in TiC base cermets, whereas it has never developed in WC base cemented carbides. Therefore, in this report, the above structure was investigated at room temperature using various cermets with various Ni, C and Mo contents and carbide grain size.
As the result, it was made clear that the structure was mainly associated with trans- and intergranular cracks of carbide under the heavy stress generated by Vickers impression, so that it was considerably influenced by various factors as shown above. The fractured structure was considered to be due to lower strength and plasticity of titanium carbide solid solution than those of WC. These results would be a help for understanding the mechanical properties of cermets.
