Abstract
It has been pointed out by the author that the properties of the two-phase cemented carbides are decisively affected by the tungsten content in the binder phase, i.e., the carbon content of alloys. On the other hand, it is well known that the properties are influenced by the particle size of carbide. These results show that, investigation which takes above two factors into consideration must be carried out to make clear the properties of the cemented carbides.
In the present work the properties of WC-10% Co alloys were examined, with the following results: (1) The determination of the mean particle size by the coercive force method appears to be erroneous. (2) Both hardness and electric resistivity of the alloys decrease with increasing carbon content and grain size. (3) The strength of the alloys reaches a maximum value at a definite point of the two-phase region depending on the binder composition and grain size. (4) The lattice parameter of the binder phase and the magnetic saturation of the alloys are independent of grain size. (5) However, the stability of the low-carbon alloys at high temperatures is strongly affected by grain size.
