Effect of Electromagnetic Compound Treatment on Microstructure and Performance of Cemented Carbide

In order to study the effect of electromagnetic compound treatment on the mechanical property, cutting performance and microstructure of cemented carbide, the samples were treated by a self-made electromagnetic compound treatment device with different magnetic field strength (H=1, 1.25 and 1.5 T). The electromagnetic compound treatment method was proposed to couple pulsed magnetic field and pulsed current. The results show that after the pulsed magnetic field treatment, the values of the transverse rupture strength of the samples were respectively reduced by 21%, 20.6% and 20.1%; the cutting performance was decreased by about 4.5%, which means the tool life was decreased. After the electromagnetic compound treatment, the values of the transverse rupture strength of the rectangular samples were respectively increased by 8%, 8.6% and 9.5%, and the tool life was increased by 4.2%, 7% and 10.3%. After the electromagnetic compound treatment, the pulse current provided the driving force for dislocation motion. A strong pulse current driving force is more likely to make the dislocation multiply and slip. A high density dislocation cell is formed within the material, so the mechanical properties were significantly increased.