Fatigue Lifetime and Crack Growth Behavior of WC-Co Cemented Carbide

Abstract:

It is well known that WC-Co cemented carbides have excellent wear resistance. However, information about their fatigue crack growth behavior and fatigue properties is limited. In the present study, rotating bending fatigue tests were carried out on a fine grained WC-Co cemented carbide to evaluate its fatigue lifetime and crack growth behavior. From observations of the micro-notched specimen surface during the fatigue process, it was revealed that most of the fatigue lifetime of the tested WC-Co cemented carbide is comprised of crack growth cycles. Using the basic equation of fracture mechanics, the relation between the rate of fatigue crack growth da/dN and the maximum stress intensity factor K_max of the WC-Co cemented carbide was derived. From this relation, both the threshold intensity factor K_th and the fatigue fracture toughness K_fc of the material were determined. Fatigue lifetime of the WC-Co cemented carbide was estimated based on the fatigue crack growth law.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 891-892)
• Pages: 955-960
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.891-892.955
• Online since: March 2014
• Authors: Hiroko Mikado, Sotomi Ishihara, Noriyasu Oguma, Kenichi Masuda, Shingo Kawamura
• Keywords: Crack Growth, Fatigue Lifetime, Stress Intensity Factor (SIF), WC-Co Cemented Carbide

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