In this paper, Ti（C,N）-based nano cermets were prepared by nano particles, and the effect of VC addition on the micmstructure and properties of Ti（C,N）-based nano cermets was investigated. The results showed that there existed black-core grayish-rim strucmre as well as gray-core grayish-rim structure in VC-doped Ti（C,N）-based nano cermets. With the increase of VC addition, the number of gray cores in- creased, the lattice parameter of Ti（C,N） phase increased, the grain size decreased, the hardness and fracture toughness of Ti（C,N）-based nano cermets were enhanced, and nearly full densification could be achieved. However, excessive addition of VC to 1 wt% resulted in slight decrease in hardness and fracture toughness. Some deep dimples were found in the fracture surface of cermets with VC addition, which corresponded to ductile fracture.
The electrochemical corrosion behavior of Ti（C,N）-based cermets with different Mo2C additions was investigated in freely aerated 10% H2SO4 and potentiodynamic polarization of all the materials was conducted from -0.5 to 1.5 V. There are two passive regions for all polarization curves. The first should be attributed to passive film formation due to Ti（C,N）, while the second may be due to the presence of Ni. Corrosion current density increases with M02C content increasing, from 2.06×10^-3 to 6.70×10^-3 mA/cm2. It is indicated that the corrosion resistance of Ti（C,N）-based cermets decreases with the increase of Mo2C addition. A skeleton of Ti（C,N） gains is observed after dissolution of Ni. The inner rim of cermets, rich in Mo2C, is corroded along with Ni binder and is more serious with the increase of Mo2C content. The secondary carbide Mo2C can be oxidized and dissolved in sulphuric acid.
Gradient cemented carbide is usually employed as the snbstrate for coated carbide insert. In this work, gradient cemented carbide with ultrafine Ti（C0.5,N0.5） was prepared and its microstructure and properties were researched. Moreover, this novel substrate was coated to investigate cutting performance. It is found that the average WC grain size in the gradient zone is larger than that in the bulk. Owing to ultrafine Ti（C0.5,N0.5） introduction, gradient cemented carbide prepared by vacuum sintering exhibits full densification. By contrast, the gradient cemented carbide with ultrafine Ti（C0.5,N0.5） shows higher transverse rupture strength （TRS） and hardness than the homogenous one. Gradient cemented carbide suffers small TRS reduction after coating, and the bonding between coatings and gradient substrate is tidy and compact. The coated gradient cemented carbide shows much better endurance and impact resistance than the coated homogenous one. It confirms the superiority of gradient cemented carbide when used as the substrate for coating inserts.
Tian-En YangLan SunJi XiongZhi-Xing GuoLei WangDing Cao
