Adaptation of Fracture Mechanics Methods for Quality Assessment of Tungsten Carbide Cutting Inserts.

Tungsten carbide (WC) is well known as one of the hardest materials widely used in machining, cutting and drilling, especially for cutting tools production. Knowing fracture toughness grants the opportunity to prevent catastrophic wear of a tool. Moreover, fracture toughness of WC-based materials may vary because of different material compositions, as well as a different way of production.