ASM Handbook, Volume 9: Metallography and Microstructures Copyright © 2004 ASM International®

G.F. Vander Voort, editor, p1067–1077 All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.31399/asm.hb.v09.a0003797 www.asminternational.org

Metallography of Cemented Carbides

A.T. Santhanam, Kennametal, Inc.

CEMENTED CARBIDES belong to a class of are also employed depending on the need for Mounted specimens in 25 to 38 mm (1.0 to
hard, wear-resistant, refractory materials in more detailed microstructural characterization. 1.5 in.) diam size are most frequently used. Un-
which the hard carbides of Groups 4 to 6 (IVB The very properties that make cemented car- mounted specimens as large as 150 mm (6 in.)
to VIB) metals are bound together, or cemented, bides good tool materials severely restrict the square may also be used on most automatic ma-
by a soft and ductile metal binder such as cobalt techniques that can be used to prepare metallo- chines. However, the heavy weight of carbides
or nickel. Although the term “cemented car- graphic specimens. The high hardness of these may cause difficulties with optical microscope
bides” is widely used in the United States, these materials requires the use of diamonds in grind- stages.
materials are better known internationally as ing and polishing. Automatic machinery capable Preservation of the hard coatings requires that
“hard metals.” of exerting forces up to 200 N (45 lbf ) normal the specimens be mounted, which is readily ac-
The first commercially available cemented to the sample is also necessary. Although it is complished with available mounting presses.
carbides consisted of tungsten carbide (WC) par- possible to grind and polish manually, the effort Epoxy resins, depending on their chemical for-
ticles bonded with cobalt. Over the years, the and time required as well as requirements for mulation, require 15 min to 8 h to harden, but
basic WC-Co material has been modified with reproducibility generally rule out these tech- the thermosetting resins will produce a mount
additions of titanium carbide (TiC), tantalum niques (Ref 1). All the micrographs in this article ready for polishing in 15 min.
carbide (TaC), niobium carbide (NbC), hafnium are from specimens prepared using an automatic Grinding and Polishing. After mounting, the
carbide (HfC), zirconium carbide (ZrC), vana- machine. A standard practice of metallographic specimens are ground flat and polished in hold-
dium carbide (VC), and chromium carbide sample preparation of cemented carbides is ers appropriate for the automatic machine being
(Cr3C2) as well as other binders such as nickel given in ASTM B 665 procedure (Ref 2). used. The holders typically accept 4 to 8 speci-
and iron to produce a variety of compositions. mens. The initial grinding is done using a 220-
Another family of cemented carbides called grit resin-bonded diamond lap. Scratches and
“cermets” also evolved with titanium carboni- work-hardened regions must be removed with
tride (TiCN) as the major hard phase and nickel Specimen Preparation finer abrasives until the desired surface finish is
as the binder phase. obtained. Final grinding is done in a two-step
Cemented carbides are manufactured by a Sectioning. Cemented carbides are cut into process: first with a 600-grit diamond lap and
powder metallurgy process using liquid phase sizes suitable for metallography by high-speed next with a 6 lm diamond lap. All grindings are
sintering. The sintered product is directly used cutoff machines. Cutting wheels should be performed at 300 rpm, using copious amount of
or ground and coated by chemical vapor depo- metal-bonded diamond, and attention must be water for coarse grinding and an alcohol-based
sition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition paid to the cutting forces or pressure, because lubricant for fine grinding.
(PVD) to suit different metalcutting applications. these materials will fracture readily when Coarse polishing is performed using a cloth
Cemented carbides are endowed with a unique heavily stressed. Wheel speeds of ⬃3000 rpm with 6 lm diamond for 2 to 4 min. Polishing is
combination of properties such as high com- are recommended. Water is used as a coolant, continued with 3 lm diamond media for 2 to 3
pressive strength, good abrasion resistance, high and the pressure should be regulated to eliminate min. Final polishing step involves 1 lm diamond
elastic modulus, good impact and shock resis- deflection or binding of the cutting wheel, which lap for 1 min. The coarse and fine polishing is
tance, corrosion resistance, and toughness. These causes fracturing near the end of the cut. Despite performed at 150 rpm using an alcohol-based lu-
properties make cemented carbides suitable for all precautions, the last part of the sample being bricant. The surfaces should be cleaned between
a wide range of wear applications including me- cut usually fractures, leaving a small burr. A steps with an alcohol rinse, because the cobalt at
talcutting, mining, construction, rock drilling, short hand dressing on a 15 to 30 lm metal- the surface is chemically active during polishing
metal forming, structural and fluid-handling bonded diamond lap at 150 to 300 rpm can easily and will be electrolytically attacked by tap water.
components, and wear parts. remove this burr. Automatic machine manufacturers can supply
Mounting. The samples are mounted using detailed information for grinding and polishing
thermosetting resins or epoxy resins containing cemented carbides following the general proce-
a hard filler addition. Typical examples are dures outlined previously. Details on grinding
Metallographic Considerations diallylphthalate with fiberglass (thermosetting) equipment, materials, and methodology for me-
or epoxy resins to which alumina (Al2O3) parti- tallographic preparation are available in Ref 3.
The fine scale of cemented carbide micro- cles have been added. These are required due to
structures necessitates the use of the highest the extreme edge rounding that occurs during
practical magnifications in optical metallogra- polishing when hard materials are mounted in
phy, requiring high optical resolution at magni- soft embedding media. No embedding medium Macroexamination
fications of 1500⳯. Scanning electron micros- without hardener has been found to yield ade-
copy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy quate edge retention and flatness for machine Cemented carbides are macroscopically ex-
(TEM), and scanning Auger microscopy (SAM) grinding and polishing. amined with a low-power microscope at 20⳯ or

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 1068 / Metallography and Microstructures of Ceramics, Composite-Metal Forms, and Special-Purpose Alloys

30⳯ to detect pits, pressing flaws, contamina- A-porosity in a WC-3wt%Co alloy is shown in micrograph (SEM) in Fig. 4, which shows that
tion, segregation, free (excess) carbon, and car- Fig. 2. the cobalt binder phase is not attacked and is
bon deficiency (eta, or g, phase: Co3W3C or Figure 3 shows an example of C-porosity that therefore the highest feature in the micrograph
Co6W6C). Examination of fracture surfaces at is due to the precipitation of free carbon in the (light areas). At mid-height, the structure con-
20⳯ reveals defects larger than ⬃0.02 mm. form of graphite during the sintering process. sists of angular WC grains. The mixed carbides
Fracture can initiate in and propagate through The rigorous grinding and polishing required for (solid solution of TaC, TiC, and NbC with WC)
such defects as pits and pressing flaws. these specimens usually result in almost com- are etched deeper. Etching experiments have led
Free carbon appears on an as-sintered or frac- plete removal of the graphite from the polished to a classification of the reaction rates of the car-
ture surface as clustered dark spots (Fig. 1). A surface, leading to the concept of “porosity” for bide constituents using Murakami’s reagent, as
specimen with free carbon often has an as- this phase. shown in Table 1. Therefore, cemented carbides
sintered surface that is slippery to touch. Carbon The carbide grain size is determined by com- are usually etched in several stages to assess
deficiency or g phase can be detected by exam- paring the structure of the specimen at 1500⳯ various constituents. Compositions of etchants
ining the fracture surface and, depending on the with micrographs given in ASTM B 390 and B used in the microexamination of cemented car-
degree of deficiency, is often detectable on an 657 procedures (Ref 5, 6). Structures are some- bides are listed in Table 2.
as-sintered surface. times rated according to cobalt content (wt%) A good general procedure to evaluate ce-
and grain size (fine, medium, or coarse). mented carbide microstructures consists of three
Microstructural evaluation of cemented car- steps: (1) porosity assessment on the as-polished
Microexamination bides is based on the different reaction rates of
Murakami’s reagent with the various phases of
Qualitative metallography in cemented car- the microstructure, which include: Table 2 Chemical etchants for cemented
bides consists of evaluation of apparent porosity carbides
● Tungsten carbide (␣-phase): WC
and carbide grain size. Apparent porosity is eval- ● Binder (b-phase): Co, Ni, Fe Reagent Composition Procedure
uated on the as-polished specimen using the ● Mixed carbides (c-phase): (Ti,Ta,Nb,W)C Murakami’s 10 g K3Fe(CN)6 Swab specimen
ASTM B 276 procedure (Ref 4). The ASTM ● Eta (g-phase): Co3W3C (M6C), Co6W6C (potassium continuously for
method rates vol% porosity in the specimen us- ferricyanide), 10 g appropriate time
(M12C) NaOH (sodium (see Table 1).
ing standard comparison charts: ● Free carbon or graphite hydroxide), and
100 mL H2O.
The variable reaction rates of these phases is Make fresh daily.
A-porosity Pore diameter: Rate at 200⳯ apparent in the backscattered scanning electron Ferric chloride 3 g FeCl3 and 100 Swab specimen
dp ⬍ 10 lm mL H2O. Make continuously for
B-porosity Pore diameter: Rate at 100⳯ Table 1 Relative reaction rates of fresh daily. 10 s (for nickel
10 lm ⱕ dp ⱕ 25 lm
C-porosity Rosette pattern: Rate at 100⳯ cemented carbide phases to Murakami’s and cobalt binder
removal).
dp ⬎ 25 lm reagent Hydrogen 20 vol% in water Immerse specimen at
Reaction rate Etching duration, peroxide 70–90 ⬚C (160–
Component (WC ⴔ 1) s (etchant for 195 ⬚F) for 4 min,
The degree of porosity is given by numbers rang- TiC-based swabbing surface
Co, Ni 0 ...
ing from 02 to 08. The number provides a mea- WC 1 120
cermets)(a) occasionally to
sure of pore volume as a percentage of total vol- remove reaction
(Ta,Ti,Nb,W)C 4 60
products.
ume of the sample. Acceptance criteria for g phase (Co3W3)C 20 3
porosity vary with application. An example of g phase (Co6W6)C 40 3 (a) From Ref 7

Fig. 1 Free (excess) carbon appears as clustered dark spots on the fracture surface of
86WC-8(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6Co alloy. 500⳯. See Fig. 97 in the article “Selected Color Fig. 2 97WC-3Co alloy, 93 HRA. An example of A08-porosity that appears as black
Images” in this Volume for color version. areas. 1500⳯

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 Metallography of Cemented Carbides / 1069

sample, (2) a 3 s etch using Murakami’s reagent the cobalt has been completely removed by a 10 gen peroxide (H2O2), which is listed in Table 2.
for g-phase, and (3) a final 1 to 2 min etch for s etch with ferric chloride (FeCl3). No other con- However, because of their complex microstruc-
the overall structure. An example of a cemented stituent is attacked by this etchant. tures, the TiCN-based cermets are more easily
carbide specimen after a 2 min Murakami etch The only exception to the use of Murakami’s evaluated by SEM examination. Figure 7 shows
is shown in Fig. 5. The WC grains are gray and reagent is found in the evaluation of titanium car- a backscattered SEM image of a cermet alloy used
angular. The white intergranular areas represent bonitride based cermets. These materials are rap- for general-purpose machining. The dark round
the cobalt binder phase. An alternative method idly attacked by Murakami’s reagent, which grain cores are TiCN; the gray rims around
for locating the position of the cobalt phase in leaves a reaction layer on the etched surface. A the dark cores and the gray rounded grains are
the microstructure is shown in Fig. 6, in which good general etchant for these materials is hydro- solid-solution carbonitride (Ta,Nb,Mo)CN; the

Fig. 3 86WC-8(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6Co alloy, 91.6 HRA. An example of C-porosity (see Ref

Fig. 4 Scanning electron micrograph (secondary electron image) of 72.5WC-
5). Black areas are porosity, some of which may still contain graphite.
17(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-10.5Co alloy, 91.4 HRA. Raised areas are cobalt binder; gray
particles are tungsten carbide; rounded deeply etched particles are mixed carbides. Mu-
rakami’s reagent (see Table 2), 2 min. 10,000⳯

Fig. 5 94WC-6Co alloy, 90 HRA, etched with Murakami’s reagent for 2 min. Light
gray particles are tungsten carbide; white intergranular areas are cobalt binder. Fig. 6 Same specimen as Fig. 5, except etched with FeCl3 (see Table 2) for 10 s to
1500⳯ remove the cobalt binder phase (black areas). 1500⳯

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 1070 / Metallography and Microstructures of Ceramics, Composite-Metal Forms, and Special-Purpose Alloys

white round phase is tungsten-rich phase, and mented carbide substrates. The (Co3W3)C type The second stable form [(Co6W6)C] of g
the intergranular regions are nickel and cobalt of g phase is shown in Fig. 8. This phase nucle- phase is shown in Fig. 9. It is seen only at the
binder. ates and grows due to the constant dissolution of substrate/CVD TiC coating interface and is the
Eta Phase. Two types of g phases exist in ce- tungsten carbide in the liquid cobalt. Its presence result of titanium atoms selectively removing
mented carbides. The first consists of the ap- is controlled by the amount of carbon present in carbon from the cobalt in the substrate, a reaction
proximate formula (Co3W3)C; the second is the cobalt. When properly etched, this phase de- thermodynamically favored even in the presence
(Co6W6)C. Both types result from decarburizing velops a spectrum of colors (white, gold, green, of atmospheric carbon during coating deposi-
reactions during sintering (Ref 8) or during high- blue, and red, but predominantly gold or brown), tion. Because the CVD process occurs at tem-
temperature CVD of hard coatings onto ce- probably as a result of crystal orientation effects. peratures below the liquidus of the Co-W-C

Fig. 7 Backscattered scanning electron micrograph of a cermet alloy [63TiCN-

10(Ta,Nb,Mo)CN-15WC-8Co-4Ni], 92.6 HRA. The dark rounded grain cores Fig. 8 86WC-4Cr3C2-10Co alloy, 92 HRA. The deeply etched brown regions are g
are titanium carbonitride; gray rims of grains and gray grains are solid solution carboni- phase (Co3W3)C. Background consists of gray tungsten carbide grains and white
tride (Ta,Nb,Mo)CN; the white round phase is tungsten-rich phase, and the intergranular cobalt binder. Murakami’s reagent, 3 s. 1500⳯. See Fig. 98 in the article “Selected Color
regions are nickel and cobalt binder. As-polished. 5000⳯ Images” in this Volume for color version.

Fig. 9 75.5WC-16(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-8.5Co alloy substrate, 91.2 HRA, coated with multi-

layer hard coating. Microstructure shows (from bottom) cemented carbide sub-
strate, (Co6W6)C g phase at the substrate/coating interface, TiC, TiCN, and TiN coating Fig. 10 90.5WC-9.5Co alloy, 86 HRA. An example of “straight carbide” with only
layers. Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 99 in the article “Selected Color two phases in the microstructure: gray tungsten carbide phase and white co-
Images” in this Volume for color version. balt binder phase. Murakami’s reagent, 2 min. 1500⳯

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 Metallography of Cemented Carbides / 1071

binder, the reactions occur in the solid state. As Microstructures of contents from 0 to ⬃25 wt%. The carbide grain
a result, the g phase is discontinuous and occu- Cemented Carbides sizes range from ⬍1 to ⬃10 lm. The Rockwell
pies only that volume formerly occupied by the A scale hardness (HRA) is given for each of the
cobalt. Both forms of g phase are hard, brittle The micrographs shown in this article repre- included micrographs, as this is an important
compounds that degrade the fracture toughness sent the variety of cemented carbides now avail- property of cemented carbides.
of the cemented carbide and must therefore be able. They cover the range of cobalt concentra- Classification. Cemented carbides are
controlled or eliminated. tion from 3 to 25 wt% and mixed carbide broadly classified into two groups: “straight car-

Fig. 12 Backscattered scanning electron micrograph of 75.5WC-16(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-

Fig. 11 85.5WC-8(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6.5Co alloy, 91 HRA. An example of “mixed carbide” 8.5Co alloy, 91.2 HRA. Gray angular particles are tungsten carbide; dark gray,
with three phases in the microstructure: deeply etched, brown, rounded solid rounded particles are mixed carbide; and cobalt binder is black. As-polished, 5000⳯
solution carbide; gray angular tungsten carbide grains; and white cobalt binder. Murak-
ami’s reagent, 2 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 100 in the article “Selected Color Images” in this
Volume for color version.

Fig. 13 94WC-6Co alloy, 91 HRA. Gray particles are tungsten carbide; white areas Fig. 14 94WC-6Ni alloy, 90.7 HRA. Gray particles are tungsten carbide (medium to
are cobalt binder in this medium-size grain structure. Murakami’s reagent, 2 fine grained); white areas are nickel binder. Murakami’s reagent, 2 min.
min. 1500⳯ 1500⳯

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 1072 / Metallography and Microstructures of Ceramics, Composite-Metal Forms, and Special-Purpose Alloys

bides” and “mixed carbides.” Straight carbides balt binder (Fig. 11). The atomic number con- The straight WC-Co alloys have excellent re-
have only two phases in the microstructure, a trast between WC and solid-solution carbide can sistance to simple abrasive wear and are widely
hard WC phase (gray particles) and a soft cobalt be seen clearly in the backscattered SEM on a used for machining materials that produce short
binder (white phase) (Fig. 10). Mixed carbides polished sample in Fig. 12. The bright gray an- chips, for example, gray cast irons and nonfer-
have three phases: two hard phases—gray gular grains are WC (high atomic number) and rous alloys, and in a broad spectrum of industrial
WC particles and brown solid solution dark gray round grains are mixed carbide, applications, including metalworking, metal or
(Ti,Ta,Nb,W)C carbide particles—and a soft co- (Ti,Ta,Nb,W)C, with lower atomic number. coal mining, transportation, and construction in-

Fig. 15 90WC-10Co alloy, 88 HRA. Gray particles are tungsten carbide (coarse to Fig. 16 80WC-20Co alloy, 84 HRA. Gray particles are tungsten carbide (coarse to
medium grained); white areas are cobalt binder. Murakami’s reagent, 2 min. medium grained); white areas are cobalt binder. Note that HRA decreases as
1500⳯ binder content increases (compare with Fig. 14 and 15). Murakami’s reagent, 2 min.
1500⳯

Fig. 17 70WC-5(Ta,Nb)C-25Co alloy, 85 HRA. The high cobalt alloy is used for non-
machining applications. Gray particles are tungsten carbide; white areas are Fig. 18 71WC-23(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6Co alloy, 92.9 HRA. This fine-grained microstructure
cobalt binder. Although the cobalt content is higher than the alloy in Fig. 16, HRA is consists of gray angular tungsten carbide, rounded mixed carbides, and white
slightly higher because of finer carbide grain size. Murakami’s reagent, 2 min. 1500⳯. cobalt binder phase. Murakami’s reagent, 2 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 102 in the article
See Fig. 101 in the article “Selected Color Images” in this Volume for color version. “Selected Color Images” in this Volume for color version.

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 Metallography of Cemented Carbides / 1073

dustries. Mixed carbides are mainly used for phase) and microstructure (particle size and dis- tailor these materials to a wide variety of metal-
steel machining because of their ability to reduce tribution of these phases). Increasing the cobalt cutting and nonmetalcutting applications. In
crater wear from diffusion of WC into the steel content or WC grain size increases the toughness general, the cobalt content can vary from 5 to 25
chip. of the tool material at the expense of deformation wt% and WC grain sizes range from ⬃0.2 to
The physical and mechanical properties of resistance and abrasion resistance. The trade-off ⬃10 lm (Fig. 13–18).
these materials are directly related to their com- between toughness and deformation resistance Straight WC-Co alloys with submicrometer
position (amount of hard carbide and soft binder enables the cemented carbide manufacturer to carbide grain sizes (Fig. 19 and 20) are used for

Fig. 19 93.5WC-0.5Cr3C2-6Co alloy, 93 HRA. This straight carbide alloy has sub- Fig. 20 89.8WC-0.2VC-10Co alloy, 92.2 HRA. Similar to Fig. 19, but with higher
micrometer-sized gray tungsten carbide grains. The cobalt binder is difficult cobalt binder content. Murakami’s reagent, 2 min. 1500⳯
to see because of the fine carbide grain size. Murakami’s reagent, 2 min. 1500⳯

Fig. 21 90.5WC-3.5(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6Co alloy, 92 HRA, coated with multilayer hard

coating. Microstructure shows (from bottom) cemented carbide substrate, Fig. 22 86.5WC-7.5(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6Co alloy, 91.3 HRA, with CVD titanium carboni-
TiN, TiCN, Al2O3, and TiN layers coated by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. tride (TiCN) and alumina (Al2O3) coating. Microstructure shows a honed edge
Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 103 in the article “Selected Color Images” of a metalcutting insert. Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1000⳯. See Fig. 104 in the article
in this Volume for color version. “Selected Color Images” in this Volume for color version.

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 1074 / Metallography and Microstructures of Ceramics, Composite-Metal Forms, and Special-Purpose Alloys

applications requiring more toughness or tool or PVD process to suppress various tool wear pro- (MT-CVD, ⬃850 ⬚C, or 1560 ⬚F) or lower tem-
edge strength. Such applications include index- cesses and enhance tool life. Coatings also permit peratures (⬃600 ⬚C, or 1100 ⬚F) by plasma-as-
able metalcutting inserts, solid carbide drills (in- the use of higher cutting speeds, boosting ma- sisted process (PA-CVD). Physical vapor depos-
cluding circuit board drills), and milling tools. chining productivity. Modern CVD hard coatings ited coatings (typically 2 to 6 lm thick) are
Grain refinement in these alloys is obtained by feature multiple layers involving various combi- processed at still lower temperatures (⬃550 ⬚C,
small additions (0.2 to 3.0 wt%) of VC, Cr3C2, nations of TiC, TiCN, ZrCN, TiN, and Al2O3 (Fig. or 1020 ⬚F). The PVD process offers unique ad-
TaC, or NbC. 21–23). Chemical vapor deposited coatings (4 to vantages, including the ability to apply a fine-
Coated Carbide Tools. Most metalcutting 30 lm thick) are applied at high temperatures grained, smooth, low-friction, and thermal crack-
carbide tool inserts are now coated either by CVD (⬃1000 ⬚C, or 1800 ⬚F) or moderate temperatures free coating over sharp edges. Physical vapor

Fig. 23 88.5WC-11.5Co alloy, 89.8 HRA, with CVD TiCN and Al2O3 coating. Mu-
Fig. 24 88.5WC-11.5Co alloy, 89.8 HRA, with PVD TiCN coating. Murakami’s re-
rakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 105 in the article “Selected Color agent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 106 in the article “Selected Color Images” in
Images” in this Volume for color version. this Volume for color version.

Fig. 25 72.5WC-17(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-10.5Co alloy, 91.4 HRA, with PVD TiCN coating. Fig. 26 93.5WC-0.5Cr3C2-6Co alloy, 93 HRA, with a thin layer (1–2 lm) of PVD
Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 107 in the article “Selected titanium nitride (TiN) coating. Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig.
Color Images” in this Volume for color version. 108 in the article “Selected Color Images” in this Volume for color version.

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 Metallography of Cemented Carbides / 1075

deposited coatings also feature compressive re- Coated Carbides with Functionally Gradi- enriched periphery (⬃15 to 20 lm deep) was
sidual stresses, which are beneficial in resisting ent Substrate Microstructures. In the late also slightly depleted in cubic carbides. The bulk
crack propagation and preventing premature tool 1970s a TiC-TiCN-TiN coated tool was devel- of the tool insert had lower cobalt and higher
failure. Typical commercial PVD coatings in- oped with a peripherally cobalt-enriched sub- level of cubic carbides (Fig. 30). The combina-
clude TiN, TiCN, TiAlN, TiB2, CrN, and multi- strate (two to three times higher cobalt at the tool tion provided superior edge strength while main-
layers of TiN-TiAlN (Fig. 24–29). insert periphery than in the bulk). The cobalt- taining the edge and crater wear resistance of the

Fig. 27 Same PVD TiN coated insert as in Fig. 26, but the micrograph shows the
Fig. 28 93.5WC-0.5Cr3C2-6Co alloy, 93 HRA, with PVD titanium aluminum nitride
coating over the sharp insert edge. Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See (TiAlN) coating. Microstructure shows a small honed edge of a metalcutting
Fig. 109 in the article “Selected Color Images” in this Volume for color version. insert. Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1000⳯. See Fig. 110 in the article “Selected Color
Images” in this Volume for color version.

Fig. 30 86WC-8(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6Co alloy, 91.6 HRA, coated with chemical vapor de-
posit multilayers of TiC, TiCN, and TiN. Note the gradient microstructure of
Fig. 29 93.5WC-0.5Cr3C2-6Co alloy, 93 HRA, with a thin layer (1–2 lm) of PVD the substrate (first-generation cobalt-enriched alloy) with the insert periphery (below the
titanium diboride (TiB2) coating. Note again that the PVD coating has been coating layers) showing higher levels of cobalt binder (white, stratified phase) than the
applied over a sharp insert edge. Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 111 in the interior. Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 112 in the article “Selected Color
article “Selected Color Images” in this Volume for color version. Images” in this Volume for color version.

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 1076 / Metallography and Microstructures of Ceramics, Composite-Metal Forms, and Special-Purpose Alloys

coating layers (Ref 9). This development per- ments to the cobalt-enrichment concept (1.5 to 2 (Fig. 31 and 32) expanded the application range
mitted users to make heavy interrupted machin- times higher cobalt and complete depletion of of this type of tool to higher speeds (Ref 10).
ing cuts such as those encountered in scaled cubic carbides in the tool periphery compared to CVD-PVD Combination Coatings. In the
forgings and castings at lower speeds. Refine- the bulk), in combination with Al2O3 coating late 1980s, a new coating technology was de-

Fig. 31 87WC-7(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6Co alloy, 91.6 HRA. This second-generation cobalt-en-

riched alloy is coated with CVD TiCN and Al2O3 coating. Note that the co- Fig. 32 86WC-7(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-7Co alloy, 90.6 HRA. Another example of second-gen-
balt-enriched zone at insert periphery is also devoid of mixed carbides. Murakami’s re- eration cobalt-enriched alloy coated with CVD TiCN and a thick Al2O3 coat-
agent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 113 in the article “Selected Color Images” in this Volume ing (total coating thickness: 15 lm). Murakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 114 in
for color version. the article “Selected Color Images” in this Volume for color version.

Fig. 34 86WC-7(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-7Co alloy, 90.6 HRA. An example of postcoat treatment

Fig. 33 83.5WC-10.5(Ta,Ti,Nb)C-6Co alloy, 92 HRA. This cobalt-enriched alloy is on a chemical vapor deposit TiCN/Al2O3 coated insert. Note the smooth edge
coated with CVD TiN/TiCN and PVD TiN (gold coating on top) layers. Mu- at the hone with the top TiN layer removed by the post-coat treatment. Murakami’s re-
rakami’s reagent, 1 min. 1500⳯. See Fig. 115 in the article “Selected Color Images” in agent, 1 min. 1000⳯. See Fig. 116 in the article “Selected Color Images” in this Volume
this Volume for color version. for color version.

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 Metallography of Cemented Carbides / 1077

veloped in which an outer layer of PVD TiN was for their contributions to metallography used in and Automatic Image Analysis,” E 1382-97,
combined with CVD TiN/TiCN inner layers this article. The author is also grateful to Doug ASTM International, June 1997, p 866
(Fig. 33). When combined with a cobalt-en- Moore for assistance with the graphics. 15. B. Roebuck, et al., “Measurement of WC
riched substrate with good bulk deformation re- Grain Size,” Report CMMT(A) 141, Issued
sistance, the CVD-PVD combination coating has by Natl. Phys. Lab (Teddington, U.K.), Jan
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Ed., ASTM, 1984, p 65–84 tion: Nonferrous Alloys and Special Purpose
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to Kennametal Materials Analysis Department Average Grain Size Using Semiautomatic ternational, 1990, p 950–977

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