LAUSR

The effects of cryogenic treatment (CT) and tempering-cryogenic treatment (TCT) on the microstructure and properties of coarse-grained WC–10Co cemented carbides with different carbon contents were researched. The binder phase, WC mean grain sizes, W solubility in the binder, relative magnetic saturation, densities, hardness, wear resistance and second phase precipitation of cemented carbides with different heat treatments were discussed. The results show that there are significant changes of microstructure and properties in the samples with CT and TCT, especially due to the precipitation of metastable nanoparticles $${\text{W}}_{x} {\text{Co}}_{y} {\text{C}}_{z}$$WxCoyCz in the binder during the heat treatments of CT and TCT. With the simultaneous combination of microstructure and nanoparticle-reinforced binder, a dramatically improved combination of hardness and wear resistance of the samples after TCT has been achieved.