Cemented carbide is an alloy material made of refractory metal carbide and metal binder by powder metallurgy.
It has a series of excellent properties such as high hardness, wear resistance, good strength and toughness, heat resistance and corrosion resistance, so it is widely used as tool material.
(1) Brand and application of cemented carbide materials in China
See table 2-16 and table 2-17 for the performance profile of domestic cemented carbide brands.
Table 2-16 performance introduction of new brand alloy independently developed by Mudanjiang tool factory
Brand |
Physical and mechanical properties |
Equivalent to ISO classification number |
Characteristics and recommended scope of use |
||
Density / (g / cm2) |
Bending strength not less than / (n / mm2) |
Hardness not less than (HRA) |
|||
YT20 |
10.2~10.7 |
1150 |
91.5 |
P10 |
It has good thermal hardness and high wear resistance. It is suitable for rough turning, semi finishing turning and finishing turning of carbon steel and alloy steel during continuous cutting. Its service life is more than 30% ~ 50% higher than that of YT15. |
SM20 |
10.4~10.9 |
1200 |
91.0 |
P20 |
It has good thermal hardness and high wear resistance. It is suitable for rough turning and semi fine turning of carbon steel and alloy steel. Its service life is more than 30% ~ 50% higher than that of YT14. |
SM25 |
11.3~11.7 |
1350 |
91.0 |
P25/M20 |
It has good thermal hardness, good thermal vibration resistance and high wear resistance. It is suitable for medium and high-speed semi finish milling of all kinds of steel and has a high service life. |
S30 |
12.2~13.0 |
1400 |
90.0 |
P30 |
It has good impact resistance and is suitable for rough turning of carbon steel and steel castings. Compared with YT5 alloy, its service life can be increased by more than 50%. |
P25 |
12.3~12.7 |
1600 |
90.5 |
P30/M30 |
It has good thermal hardness, good impact and thermal vibration resistance and high wear resistance. It is suitable for rough milling and semi finish milling of all kinds of steel. |
P35 |
12.7~13.1 |
1700 |
90.0 |
P35 |
Good impact resistance and thermal vibration resistance. It is applicable to the rough machining of all kinds of steel forgings and casting blanks, especially the rough turning effect of hydrogenation reactor cylinder section forgings. It is also suitable for rough machining of nuclear power large forgings. |
P40 |
12.5~13.1 |
1700 |
89.0 |
P40/M40 |
It has good impact resistance and thermal vibration resistance. It is suitable for low-speed intermittent rough turning of all kinds of cast steel and forged steel with good effect. |
ST5015 |
6.8~7.3 |
1150 |
91.5 |
P05~P15 |
It is a new type of cermet alloy with good thermal hardness and wear resistance. It is suitable for high-speed finish milling and turning of carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel. |
ST5030 |
73~7.7 |
1200 |
91.5 |
P05~P20 |
It belongs to a new type of cermet alloy, which has certain impact resistance, good thermal hardness and wear resistance. It is suitable for high-speed fine milling and fine turning of carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel. |
ST6030 |
9.0~9.2 |
2000 |
91.0 |
P20~P30 |
New metal ceramic alloy. Good impact resistance, good thermal hardness and wear resistance. It is suitable for rough milling and rough turning of carbon steel and alloy steel. |
HM100 |
13.8~14.2 |
1200 |
93.0 |
M05/K05 |
It has good thermal hardness and high wear resistance. It is suitable for finishing turning and milling of nodular cast iron, chilled alloy cast iron and quenched steel. |
M150 |
12.6~13.3 |
1200 |
92.0 |
M15/P10 |
It has good thermal hardness and high wear resistance. It is suitable for finishing and semi finishing of alloy steel and high-strength steel. It can also be rough machined under the condition of low impact force. |
M200 |
12.2~12.8 |
1200 |
92.5 |
M05/P05 |
It has good thermal hardness and high wear resistance. It is suitable for rough machining and semi finish machining of alloy steel, high-strength steel and steel with quenching hardness not greater than 50HRC. |
SM20N |
11.8~12.3 |
1500 |
92.0 |
M10~M20 |
Excellent adhesion resistance and excellent resistance to crater wear. It is especially suitable for finishing of stainless steel, as well as finishing and semi finishing of alloy steel and carbon steel. |
SM25N |
11.9~12.5 |
1600 |
91.5 |
M20/P20/S15 |
Good adhesion resistance and good anti crescent wear ability. It is suitable for finishing and semi finishing of stainless steel, alloy steel and carbon steel. It is also suitable for rough turning and fine turning of nickel base superalloy. |
SM30N |
12.1~12.7 |
1700 |
91.0 |
M30/P30/S20 |
It has good adhesion resistance, good thermal hardness and wear resistance. It is especially suitable for rough machining and semi finishing of all kinds of stainless steel, with excellent service life. It is also suitable for rough turning and fine turning of nickel base superalloy. |
SM35N |
12.2~12.8 |
1800 |
90.5 |
M30/P30 |
Good adhesion resistance, especially suitable for rough machining of all kinds of stainless steel, with excellent service life. |
SM35 |
12.1~12.7 |
1900 |
90.0 |
P35/M35 |
It has good adhesion resistance, impact resistance and thermal vibration resistance. It is suitable for medium and low speed rough milling and intermittent turning of carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel. |
HM05 |
14.8~15.2 |
1200 |
92.0 |
K05 |
It has high wear resistance and is suitable for finishing of cast iron, non-ferrous metals and their alloys, especially for drilling of automotive asbestos brake pads. The effect is better than K01. |
HM15 |
14.6~15.0 |
1500 |
91.5 |
K15 |
It has good wear resistance and is suitable for turning and milling of cast iron, nodular cast iron, chilled alloy cast iron, non-ferrous metals and their alloys. |
HM20 |
14.5~14.8 |
1700 |
91.5 |
K20 |
Good toughness and wear resistance. It is suitable for rough machining of nonferrous metals and cast iron. |
HM25 |
14.6~14.9 |
1800 |
89.5 |
K25 |
It has good impact resistance and vibration resistance. It is suitable for rough machining of cast iron, non-ferrous metals and their alloys and non-metallic materials. Its service life is higher than that of K30 products. |
HM30 |
14.5~14.9 |
1800 |
90.0 |
K30 |
It has good impact resistance and vibration resistance. It is suitable for rough machining of cast iron, nodular cast iron, non-ferrous metals and their alloys and non-metallic materials. It has good service life. |
HM35 |
14.5~14.9 |
1800 |
89.5 |
K35 |
Good impact resistance and thermal vibration resistance. Suitable for rough machining of cast iron. |
HM40 |
14.4~14.7 |
2000 |
90.0 |
K40/M40 |
Good toughness and thermal vibration resistance. It is suitable for rough turning of cast iron and austenitic stainless steel castings. |
Table 2-17 alloy grades and properties of Xiamen Jinlu
Brand |
Physical and mechanical properties |
Equivalent to ISO classification number |
Characteristics and scope of use |
||
Density / (g / cm2) |
Flexural strength / (n / mm2) |
Hardness (HRA) |
|||
GU1OUF |
14.8 |
3800 |
94 |
K05-K10 |
|
GUISUF |
14.52 |
3800 |
93.5 |
K10-K20 |
Recommended for making drill bits, suitable for processing non alloy steel, stainless steel, gray cast iron and nodular cast iron. |
GU25UF |
14.1 |
4200 |
92.5 |
K20-K40 |
It is recommended to manufacture end mills, reamers and drill bits of various specifications. It has strong ability in the field of high-speed and light cutting. It is suitable for processing hardened steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, etc. |
GU20F |
14.3 |
3800 |
92.3 |
K20-K40 |
It is recommended to manufacture drill bits, end mills and reamers. It is suitable for the processing of ordinary die steel, gray cast iron, stainless steel, nickel base alloy and titanium alloy. |
GU10 |
14.9 |
2700 |
93 |
K10-K30 |
It is used for manufacturing end milling cutter and drill bit. It is suitable for processing low alloy steel, gray cast iron, aluminum base alloy and copper alloy. |
GU20 |
14.4 |
3500 |
91.7 |
K20-K40 |
It is used to manufacture general machining drill bits, end mills and reamers. It is suitable for milling and hole machining of ordinary die steel, gray cast iron, austenitic stainless steel and heat-resistant alloy. |
GK05A |
14.95 |
2450 |
92.5 |
K15 |
It is recommended to manufacture various specifications of drill bits, end mills, rotary files, etc. it is suitable for non-ferrous metal processing, such as molybdenum, copper and graphite products (coating required). |
GK20 |
14.95 |
2700 |
91.0 |
K20 |
(2) Grades and applications of cemented carbide materials abroad
The types and brands of processing materials are shown in table 2-18.
Table 2-18 definition and introduction of material brand
Types of processing materials | Processing steel parts | Processing stainless steel | Processing cast iron | Processing nonferrous metals | Processing heat resistant alloy | Processing high hardness materials |
Hardness toughness | P01 P05 P10 P20 P30 P40 | M10 M20 M30 M40 | K01 K10 K20 K30 | N01 N10 N20 N30 | S01 S10 S20 S30 | H01 H10 H20 H30 |
The comparison of cemented carbide product brands of foreign manufacturers is shown in Appendix A.
Appendix A comparison of hard product brands of foreign manufacturers
ISO | seco | Sandvik croman | Kent metal | Iska | Mitsubishi | sumitomo | Tungaloy | Walter | Widia | Valenite | Stram | Kyocera | Teguk | Senra Tianshi | Mu Li | Chloe | Dai Jie | Japanese special ceramics | Ingersoll | Hannida | ||
hardness | toughness | P01 | ||||||||||||||||||||
P10 | P10 | IC70 | STIOP | TH10 | TNI5U | P10 | wS10 | SRT | TN15U | |||||||||||||
P20 | S10M | SMA H1OF | K125M TTM | IC70 | UTi20T | ST20E | KS20 | TNI5U | P20 | EX35 | SRT SR20 | KM1 | P40 | TN15U | ||||||||
P30 | S25M | SM30 H1OF | GK K600 TTR | IC28 IC54 | UTi20T | A30 A30N | KS15F UX30 | PW30 | P30 | S40T | EX40 | DX30 SR30 | P40 | |||||||||
P40 | S60M | G13 | IC28 IC54 | ST40E | P40 | S40T | EX45 | SR30 | KM3 | |||||||||||||
M01 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
M10 | 890 | H10A | K313 | IC20 | U10E EH510 | TH10 | TN15U WU10HT | M10 | WA10B | UMN | KM1 | TN15UWU10HT | ||||||||||
M20 | HX883 | H13A | K68 KMF K125M TTM | IC20 | UTi20T | U2 EH520 | TH10 | TN15U WU1OHT | S3X7 | M20 | CTW7120 H210T | EX35 | U20 | DX25 UMS | IN30M | TN15UWU10HT | ||||||
M30 | H1OF SM30 | GK600 TTR | IC28 | UTi20T | A30A30N | UX30 | EX45 | UMS | IN30M | |||||||||||||
M40 | G13 | IC28 | M40 | S40T | UM40 | IN30M | ||||||||||||||||
K01 | K605 | HTiOST | H2H1 | KSO5F | TN15UWU1OHT | UF1 | WHO1WHO5 | KG03 | TN15UWU10HT | |||||||||||||
K10 | 890 | H10 | K313 K110M THM THM-U | IC20 ICO9T | HTi10 | H1 EH10EH510 | TH10 | WK1WK10 | TN15UWU1OHT | GH2 | KW10 | K10 | H210T H216T H1OT | WH10 | G10 | KG10 KT9 CR1 | KM1 | INO5S | TN15UWU10HT | |||
K20 | 890HX 883 | HI3A H1OF | K715 KMF K600 | IC20 ICO9T | UTi20T | G10E EH20 EH520 | KS15F KS20 | WK1 WK10 | TN15U WU1OHT | KW10 GW25 | K20 | CTW7120 H210T H216T H1OT | WH20 | KT9 CR1 KG20 FB15 | INO5S IN1OK IN15K IN30M | TN15UWU10HT | ||||||
K30 | 883 | H13A H10F | THR | IC28 | UTi20T | G10E | WK40 WMG40 | GW25 | K30 | KG30 | IN10K IN15K IN30M | |||||||||||
K40 | G13 | IN30M | ||||||||||||||||||||
NO1 | H10 | K605 | IC20 | H1 | KSO5F | KW10 | ||||||||||||||||
N10 | 890HX 883 | H10H1OF | K313K110MTHMTHM-U | IC20IC28 | HTi10 | H1 | TH10KSO5F | TNI5UWU10HT | GH1 | GW15 | K10 | H210T H216T HIOT | WH10 | KT9CR1 | KM1 | INO5S INIOK | TN15UWU10HT | |||||
N20 | 890 HX KK883 | H1OF H13A | K715 KMF K600 | IC20 IC28 | KS15F | TN15UWU1OHT | K20 | CTW7120H210T H216T H1OT | WH20 | KT9CR1 | KM1 | IN10K IN15K | TN15UWU10HT | |||||||||
N30 | 883H25 | G13THR | IN15K IN30M | |||||||||||||||||||
S01 | IC20 | RT9005 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S10 | 890883 | H10H1OA | K10K313THM | IC20 | RT9005RT9010 | EH510 | KSO5FTH1O | WKI | TNI5UWUlOHT | VPUS10 | KW10 | K10 | H210TH216TH1OT | WH10 | KG10 | KM1 | IN15K IN30M | TN15UWU10HT | ||||
S20 | 890883H25 | H1OFH13A | K715KMF | IC20IC28 | RT9010TF15 | EH520 | KS15FKS20 | WKIWMG40 | TN15UWU1OHT | GW25 | K20 | CTW7120H210TH10T | WH20 | KG20 | KM1 | IN1OK IN15K | TN15UWU10HT | |||||
S30 | 883 | G13 K600THR | TF15 | WMG40 | I | IN30M | ||||||||||||||||
S40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
H01 | IC20 | KG03 | ||||||||||||||||||||
H10 | H13A | IC20 | TH1O | K10 | FZ05 | IN1OK | ||||||||||||||||
H20 | 890 HX883 | FZ15 | INI5K |
(3) Typical product introduction
1. Properties and applications of Walter cemented carbide materials
Cemented carbide is mainly composed of tungsten carbide (WC) as hard material and cobalt (Co) as binder.
In most cases, the cobalt content is between 6% and 12%.
The general rule is: the higher the cobalt content, the higher the toughness, but the lower the wear resistance, and vice versa.
Another decisive parameter of cemented carbide is grain size.
The finer the grain, the greater the hardness.
As shown in table 2-19, the composition and properties of Walter cemented carbide materials.
Table 2-19 composition and properties of Walter cemented carbide
performance | Wc,(%) | Grain size | Hardness(HV) | |
K10 | The wear resistance of the matrix is very good;Used in welding hole machining tool manufacturer. | 6 | common | 1650 |
K20F | The wear resistance of the matrix is very good, and the grains are finer;It is applied to cast iron chip materials. | 6~7 | slender | 1650~1800 |
K30F | Ultra fine grain matrix, high toughness and wear resistance;It is generally applicable to various materials. | 10 | Very slender | 1550 |
2. Shangao cemented carbide cutter
Fig. 2-11 shows the physical and mechanical properties of various main tool materials.
It can be seen that the ideal cutting tool material should have both toughness and wear resistance.

Fig. 2-11 physical and mechanical properties of various tool materials
For different processed materials, cemented carbide materials are also subdivided into targeted brands.
These brands have different physical and mechanical properties and can adapt to the cutting applications of different processed materials.
Fig. 2-12 shows typical SEM photos of cemented carbide + coating.

Fig. 2-12 typical SEM photos of cemented carbide + coating
The wear resistance, thermal conductivity and thermal hardness of cemented carbide mainly depend on the type of cemented carbide matrix and coating.
Among them, WC particle size, cobalt content and phase γ content are very important.
It affects the toughness, wear resistance, thermal hardness and chemical affinity of cemented carbide tools.
These mechanical and chemical properties are closely related to the cutting process.
The specific effects can be explained from fig. 2-13.

Fig. 2-13 relationship between tool performance indexes
The influence of cobalt content and WC content of cemented carbide on the wear resistance and toughness of the matrix can be explained by fig. 2-14.
Generally speaking, the WC content is between 60% and 95%, while the Co content is between 5% and 40%.

Fig. 2-14 effect of cobalt and WC content on wear resistance of cemented carbide
The influence of cemented carbide grain size on cemented carbide matrix can be seen from fig. 2-15.
Take WC-6% Co cemented carbide as an example.

Fig. 2-15 effect of cemented carbide grain size on matrix
The gradient cemented carbide developed by shangao tool can effectively prevent crack propagation in the machining process.
This matrix can be used to process high-strength and difficult to process materials, effectively prevent edge cracking, and improve tool life and processing safety, as shown in Fig. 2-16.

Fig. 2-16 gradient cemented carbide
a) Due to the small crack formed by tensile stress, the matrix toughness is low, which makes the crack further develop
b) High cobalt content under the surface layer terminates the crack
The following describes the performance of several shangao cemented carbide tools:
1)883:
The relatively high hardness and uncoated fine particle material grade are suitable for rough machining applications of titanium alloys and also for superalloys.
2)890:
High hardness uncoated fine particle material grade with good toughness, for superalloys and titanium alloys, and can also be used for other materials.
3)HX:
The general uncoated material grade is for processing cast iron and hardened steel, and can also be used for non-ferrous materials.
4)KX:
Optimize the grade of ultra-fine particles and process aluminum alloy and other non-ferrous metal materials.