A two-parameter analysis of surface fatigue crack growth behavior of fine-grained WC-Co cemented carbide at different stress ratios

In this study, the fatigue crack growth (FCG) characteristics of the short surface crack was studied at various stress ratios, R, using the fine grained cemented carbide. The FCG law for the material was studied using two parameters, the maximum stress intensity factor K max and the stress intensity factor range Δ K . It was found that the relationship between the rate of FCG, da/dN and Δ K depends on the R value. In the da/dN vs. K max relation, at the region of high crack growth rate, the FCG rate was nearly constant by the value of K max without depending on R. However, in the low FCG rate region, the FCG rate tended to accelerate as R became lower. Therefore, it was difficult to specify da/dN as a single value at different R ratios using either Δ K or K max from the low speed region to the high-speed region. For that reason, the FCG behaviour of the material was studied based on the crack growth law, da/dN = A K max m ΔK n . The values of m and n were obtained as 6.6 and 1.4, respectively. Therefore, it was found that the FCG rate of the cemented carbide was strongly dependent on K max rather than Δ K , like the FCG characteristics of ceramics.