A dual composite of WC-Co

Hardness, fracture toughness, and wear resistance are strongly inter-relate d properties of cemented tungsten carbide. Higher hardness usually dictates higher wear resistance but at the cost of fracture toughness. A new dual c omposite of WC-Co, named DC carbide, is reported in this article. The new, hybrid, particulate composite material has higher fracture toughness than c onventional WC-Co material at equivalent wear resistance. Moreover, it has higher wear resistance at equivalent fracture toughness when compared to to ol steels. The improved properties are achieved by the composite microstruc ture that maximizes mean free path (MFP) between hard reinforcement particl es. The new composite material is also unique in that the reinforcement pha se is a composite material in and of itself.