Relationship between hardness and fracture toughness in WC–FeAl composites fabricated by pulse current sintering technique

Abstract WC–FeAl composites having notable mechanical properties as hard metal materials are successfully fabricated by using pulse current sintering technique. The relationship between hardness H V and fracture toughness K IC of the composites is compared with those of WC–Co materials reported. The comparison suggests successful development of WC–FeAl composites with the characteristics almost equal to WC–Co materials currently used for the hard metal tools. Microstructure of the sintered WC–FeAl is uniform without any grain growth. In the K IC – H V plot, WC–FeAl composites locate at the same position as that of WC–Co materials. The total mechanical property of WC–FeAl is comparable to WC–Co. The developed WC–FeAl is a very promising candidate to replace WC–Co materials. Fully controlled microstructure is crucial.