Local material removal mechanisms of cemented carbides in abrasive flow machining

Abstract

Cemented carbide components are widely used in industry, due to their high hardness and wear resistance. However, the material removal mechanisms behind are usually studied using macroscopic approaches and in the case of extreme contact conditions. This work proposes to investigate the local deformation and wear mechanisms of cemented carbide (WC-Co) when submitted to an Abrasive Flow Machining (AFM) operation. A specific set-up has been developed to relocate the specimen between two AFM cycles in order to follow the surface feature evolutions. SEM analyses have been carried out to propose a qualitative mechanism on a micro-scale. Intra-granular cracks, generation and compaction of wear debris have been emphasized confirming their brittle wear behavior even under a soft polishing process. Different mechanisms have been also identified depending on the Cobalt binder content showing a potential ductility even for such a macroscopically brittle material.