Cemented carbides are characterized by their
high hardness and strength and are used in appli-
cations where materials with high wear resistance
and toughness are required. The main constitu-
ents of cemented carbides are tungsten carbide
and cobalt. Tungsten carbide imparts the alloys
the necessary strength and wear resistance,
whereas cobalt contributes to the toughness and
ductility of the alloys. The WC-Co alloys are
tailored for specific applications by the proper
choice of tungsten carbide grain size and the
cobalt content. The grain size of the tungsten
carbide in WC-Co varies from about 40 ktm to
around 0"3 /tm, the cobalt content from 3 to 30
wt%. The coarse grained hardmetals are mainly
used in mining applications, the smallest grain size
being about 3 ktm and the minimum cobalt con-
tent 6 wt%. The grain size of tungsten carbide in
the metal cutting industry as well as for universal
applications lies in the range of 1-2 /zm.