Influence of cemented carbide binder type on wear initiation in rock drilling – Investigated in sliding wear against magnetite rock

Cemented carbides, containing hard WC grains in a ductile Co binder, are commonly used as the rock crushing part of rock drills. They generally work well and show moderate and gradual wear in rock drilling applications. However, due to health issues, an alternative to Co is sought for, which will not compromise the performance. In the present work, the initiation of wear of cemented carbides with the two alternative binders Ni and Fe are investigated and compared to the common Co containing material in a sliding test. The sliding counterpart is magnetite, representing a rock type generally causing slow wear of the cemented carbides.