Powder refinement, consolidation and mechanical properties of cemented carbides — An overview

Cemented carbides, owing to their excellent mechanical properties, have been of immense interest in the field of hard materials for the past few decades. Although a number of processing techniques have been developed to obtain nanostructured cemented carbide powders with grain size of less than 100 nm, they are expensive, as such, the challenge remains for producing nano-sized powders economically. The lack of understanding and control of grain growth and its effect on deformation and fracture of the resulting carbide materials is another area that requires proper attention. In addition, the effect of binder materials and their content on the mechanical properties of cemented carbides is not clearly understood yet. This review aims to address some of the key issues and challenges faced in the research and development of cemented carbides, especially on powder refinement and consolidation, and their effect on mechanical properties.