Degradation of WC-10%Co drill bits

The cemented carbide hard-metal, a mixture of tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt (Co), is made by powder metallurgy process. Cemented carbide has an ideal combination of hardness, toughness and resistance to abrasive wear. There have been extensive researches to develop substitutes of CC. A few materials have indeed been found to be harder than WC. However, due to insufficient impact resistance, they have not to be proved good for cutting coal/rock.