Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Properties of Ultrafine WC-Co Cemented Carbide

In this paper, the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and properties of a 0.8 mu m WC-10%Co ultrafine cemented carbide was studied. The results show that the microstructural differences in ultrafine WC-Co cemented carbides without and with heat treatment are mainly reflected in the Co phase. For conventional cemented carbides, the hardness and wear resistance can be increased only at the expense of the toughness and strength. An ultrafine-grained WC-Co cemented carbide with good hardness and toughness can be obtained by strengthening the Co phase through an appropriate heat treatment process, and the service life of the ultrafine-grained WC-Co cemented carbide can be improved under actual cutting conditions.