The influence of alloy composition and sintering temperature on the mechanical properties and reliability of WC–Co cemented carbides was studied theoretically and experimentally. For the first time, through a hybrid approach of thermodynamic calculations and Weibull distribution, the comprehensive performance of ultrafine WC–Co cemented carbides with different C contents and inhibitor type was investigated in detail. The carbon content of WC–10 wt-% Co–0.5 wt-% Cr cemented carbides was carefully controlled within the range of 5.38−5.52 wt-%. The contents of Cr and V are chosen to be in the range of 0–1 wt-%. It is found that WC–10 wt-% Co–0.5 wt-% Cr alloys with 5.46 wt-% C or 5.5 wt-% C show excellent mechanical properties and high reliability. WC–10 wt-% Co alloys with 0.5 wt-% Cr and 0.4 wt-% Cr–0.2 wt-% V demonstrate high mechanical property and reliability. The results of this study can be used to design process parameters during the manufacture of WC–Co cemented carbides.
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