Determination of the Mechanical Properties of Carbide Composites by Spherical Indentation

Carbide composites are materials based on the carbide phases of the refractory or high melting temperature metals. The hard carbide phase (WC, TiC) is usually embedded into soft matrix – pure metals (Fe, Co, Mo, Ni and others) or their combinations. The hard phase supports high hardness and strength of the carbide composites, while matrix is needed for toughness and plastic properties. The ordinary tensile testing is not applicable for yield stress determination in case of carbide composites. The ball indentation depth sensing technique was used to determine yield stress of hard materials. In present work the first results of the determination of the yield stress of the WCCo and TiC-Fe/Ni carbide composites using spherical indentation are presented.