The Role of Diamond on Wear Properties of WC-Co Composite

There is a growing interest in researching materials to produce wear-resistant composites. The current study aims to investigate the impact of adding 2.5 vol% diamond on the wear behavior of the WC-6% wt. Co composite. The samples were first fabricated using the spark plasma sintering method at 1300 °C for five minutes under the pressure of 40 MPa. The pin-on-disk method was employed to study the wear behavior, followed by evaluating the worn surfaces using SEM analysis. According to the results from the worn surfaces analysis, addition of diamond to the WC-Co composite reduced the wear rate from 0.34×10-4 mm³/N·m to 0.25×10-4 mm³/N·m. According to the SEM images, abrasive wear was the main wear mechanism in the WC-Co composite while the abrasive, adhesive, and oxidation mechanisms were the primary wear mechanisms in the WC-Co sample reinforced with diamond phase. The presence of diamond as a hard phase within WC-Co composite significantly improved the wear resistance of the composite.