About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
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| Symposium
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Advancing the Frontier of Powder Materials Processing and Sintering: A MPMD/EPD Symposium in Honor of Eugene Olevsky
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| Presentation Title |
1:1 hardness–structure–composition relationship of grain boundaries: Exceptional hardness in cemented carbides fabricated using physical powder metallurgy |
| Author(s) |
Hansheng Chen*, Haoruo Zhou*, Ceratizit Team , Sophie Primig, Simon Peter Ringer |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Haoruo Zhou* |
| Abstract Scope |
Grain boundaries (GBs) generally exhibit complex structural and compositional features that significantly affect material hardness. Here, we establish a methodology to correlate the local hardness contributions of the GBs with their frequency distribution and their structural and compositional characteristics, using a submicron WC–Co cemented carbide as a model. An exceptional local hardness of (14.68 ± 0.12) GPa is observed from a 90° WC{0001}/WC{101¯0} GB, unlike the low contributions from other WC/WC GBs. This is linked to pronounced Cr and Co segregation at this GB, due to Cr affinity at the WC{0001}/Co and WC{101¯0}/Co phase boundaries and Co infiltration during liquid-phase sintering. Density functional theory results indicate that a large lattice mismatch, strong W–C covalent bonding, and Cr and Co accumulation increase the elastic strain field, resulting in strong atomic distortion near the interface and contributing to exceptional strengthening. Our findings highlight the critical influence of GB complexities on material hardness. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Characterization, Powder Materials, Mechanical Properties |