Effects of WC size and amount on the thermal residual stress in WC–Ni composites

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing, 2005-05, Vol.398 (1-2), p.15-21
• Main Authors: Seol, K., Krawitz, A.D., Richardson, J.W., Weisbrook, C.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysing. Testing. Standards; Applied sciences; Cemented carbide composites; COMPOSITE MATERIALS; CONCENTRATION RATIO; Elasticity. Plasticity; Exact sciences and technology; intense pulsed neutron source; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Mechanical properties and methods of testing. Rheology. Fracture mechanics. Tribology; Metals. Metallurgy; Neutron diffraction; NICKEL; PARTICLE SIZE; RESIDUAL STRESSES; Stress analysis; Thermal residual stress; THERMAL STRESSES; TUNGSTEN CARBIDES
• ISSN: 0921-5093; 1873-4936
• DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2005.01.041

Effects of WC particle size and volume fraction on the magnitude and distribution of thermal residual stresses (TRS) in WC–Ni cemented carbide composites were studied by neutron powder diffraction. Samples of high (0.3) and low (0.1) Ni volume fraction and coarse (1.7μm) and fine (0.5μm) WC particle size were employed. Thermal residual strain and stress values were obtained at temperatures between 100 and 900K. The magnitude of the mean (compressive) WC stress increased as WC fraction decreased, while the mean (tensile) Ni stress did the opposite. For both phases, stresses were highest for fine WC particles, reaching over 3GPa in Ni. Elastic strain distributions, due to the sharp edges and corners of WC particles, were characterized by analyzing diffraction peak widths. The range of stress increased with the magnitude of the TRS. Even though the mean TRS is compressive in WC, regions of tension exist, and, for Ni, regions of compression are present.