Binder extrusion of sliding wear of WC-Co alloys

It has previously been proposed that preferential removal of the cobalt binder is an important mechanism in the abrasive wear of cemented carbides in the WC-Co family. It is here demonstrated that binder extrusion occurs also in metal-to-metal sliding wear contacts. The wear scar generated by sliding a hardened steel ball repeatedly over a polished WC-Co surface was studied by SEM. The extruded cobalt fragments accumulate by surface defects, such as cracks caused by the sliding loaded ball, and gradual microfragmentation of the carbide grains follows. The energy required to extrude the cobalt and cause the gradual change in surface layer microstructure is provided by the frictional forces