J Fail. Anal. and Preven.

DOI 10.1007/s11668-016-0220-0

TECHNICAL ARTICLE—PEER-REVIEWED

Characterization of Failure Behavior in Distorted WC-Co

Tip of Coal Mining Picks
Sakuntala Nahak . Saurabh Dewangan . Somnath Chattopadhyaya .
Sergej Hloch

Submitted: 25 August 2016 / in revised form: 30 September 2016

Ó ASM International 2016

Abstract The present paper deals with the characteriza-
tion of failure behavior in the cemented carbide (WC 94–
Co 6%) tips of two cutters, i.e., conical cutter and radial
cutter, which were used for coal cutting operation in an
underground mine. High-resolution microscopes (FESEM
and EDS) were used to assess wear mechanisms. The
cemented carbide has been studied for its wear behavior for
a long time. The ongoing research is necessary because
wear mechanisms cannot be classified in single way. The
variations in application of the tools may change the tri-
bological characteristics in the cemented carbide. In this
study, mainly four wear mechanisms, such as Cracks,
Abrasion, Corrosion, and Intermixing of external elements,
have been reported.
S. Nahak
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jaypee University of
Engineering and Technology, Guna, Madhya Pradesh 473226,
India
e-mail: sakuntalastudy@gmail.com
S. Dewangan (&)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of
Science and Technology, Berhampur, Odisha 761008, India
e-mail: saurabh22490@gmail.com
S. Chattopadhyaya
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of
Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand 826004, India
e-mail: somuismu@gmail.com
S. Hloch
Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies, Technical University of
Kosice with a Seat in Presov, 080 01 Presov, Slovakia
e-mail: hloch.sergej@gmail.com
Keywords Cemented carbide  Conical pick 
Radial pick  Coal mining  Failure behavior 
Characterization
Introduction
An ideal combination of hardness, strength, and wear-re-
sistant property makes the CC absolutely fit for coal and
metal cutting operation. CC is a homogeneous mixture of
tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt binder (Co). Tungsten
carbide is manufactured by proper mixing of pure tungsten
powder (W) and pure lamp black carbon (C). The tem-
perature during mixing process is about 1500 °C. Mixing
phenomenon is carried out under vacuum or in the presence
of hydrogen [1].
W þ C ! WC: ðEq 1Þ
Many other methods are available for manufacturing
tungsten carbide. Direct carburization of tungsten oxide
(WO3), tungstic acid (H2WO4), ammonium paratungstate
[(NH4)10W12O41 9 5H2O], and scheelite (CaWO4) can
result in the formation of WC [2]. The reactions are given
below:
WO3 þ 4C ! WC þ 3CO; ðEq 2Þ
H2 WO4 þ 4C ! WC þ 3CO þ H2 O; ðEq 3Þ
ðNH4 Þ10 W12 O41  5H2 O þ 48C
! 12WC þ 10NH3 þ 10H2 O þ 36CO; (Eq 4)
CaWO4 þ 4C ! WC þ CaO þ 3CO: ðEq 5Þ
For manufacturing CC, WC is cemented with Co under
high heat and vacuum (or sometimes in hydrogenous
environment). The required shapes are made under high
pressure (100–420 MN/m2) [1]. Sintering is done after

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making the product of any specific shape. The sintering
temperature is usually selected around 1435 °C [3]. The
carbide particles make the CC hard and wear resistant,
Fig. 1 Relation among hardness of tungsten carbide, cobalt content,
and WC grain size [10]
Fig. 2 Sketch of Conical pick
and Radial pick
Fig. 3 (a) A continuous miner machine (Courtesy: JoyGlobal) [27]; (b) A roadheader (Courtesy: Aker Solutions) [28]
123
J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
whereas the Co binder provides ductility to hard metal
alloy [4]. The density of CC is 13.5 g/cm3 and that of
individual WC and Co are 15.7 and 8.9 g/cm3, respectively
[5]. The carbide phase normally constitutes 70–97% of the
total weight of CC, and its average grain size varies
between 0.2 and 20 lm. According to size of WC grains
and amount of cobalt content, different grades of CCs are
manufactured which have various applications. Three
grades are available: ultra fine grades, fine grades, and
coarse grades. Being extremely hard, ultra fine grades
contain binder content in the range of 3–10 wt.% and WC
grain sizes below 1 lm. Fine grades have binder contents
between 6 and 30%, and WC grain sizes is between 1 and 3
lm. The range of binder content and WC grain sizes in
coarse grades are 6–15 wt.% and above 3 lm, respectively.
Coarse grades are used for mining applications [6]. Per-
formance of CC is influenced by various factors, such as
WC grain size, amount of binder (Co) content, amount of
carbon content, availability of porosity, and heat. Carbide
grains of fine and medium size usually have higher
J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
abrasive wear resistance properties and vice versa [7, 8].
Hardness of CC decreases [9] and transverse rupture
strength increases [3] with increase in cobalt content. A test
has been performed in Colorado School of Mines to show
the variation in hardness of tungsten carbide with different
cobalt contents and various grain sizes of the WC (Fig. 1)
[10]. Excess carbon content negatively affects the
mechanical properties of hard metal alloy [11]. Due to
porosity, the CC gets easily ruptured under the influence of
sudden shocks [12]. High heat generation during coal
cutting or rock drilling process makes the CC tip soft and
plastically deformed [13, 14].
Wear assessment of cemented carbide has been an
interesting subject for a long time. For different working
conditions, such as rock drilling, coal cutting, and
Fig. 4 (a) Worn out conical pick; (b) Worn out radial pick
Fig. 5 Magnified image of damaged CC of (a) conical pick and (b) radial pick
laboratory testing, various wear mechanisms have been
previously reported in the CC by researchers [15–20]. It
has been concluded that WC-Co gets damaged in three
intermittent ways: cobalt removal, cracking of grain
boundary, and fragmentation of WC grains [16, 21].
According to Larsen-Basse (1973, 1985), micro spalling,
abrasion, extrusion of binder metal, WC grain pull out, and
reptile skin are the common wear mechanisms in WC-Co
alloys [22, 23]. After conducting an experiment of rock
drilling using drill bit, Beste et al. (2008) have concluded
that rock penetration plays a significant role in wear phe-
nomena of CC. In addition, corrosive degradation and
oxidation are responsible for erosion of binder content
from hard metal alloy of the drill bit [24]. Abrasion and
tipping phenomena have been observed by Wang et al.
(2015) as main failure behaviors in WC-3.5% Co-based
conical cutter [25].
In the present work, damaged cemented carbide of coal
cutting tools, i.e., conical pick and radial pick, has been
taken for characterization of failure behavior. Of both the
tools, the conical pick has been considered following the
work of Dewangan et al. (2015) [26] for observing the
extent of wearing. FESEM and EDS have been used for
observation of wear mechanisms. Most appropriate reasons
behind each wear phenomena have been explained com-
prehensively. A sketch of conical- and radial-shaped coal
cutting picks is shown in Fig. 2. Also, the images of both
the machines are shown in Fig. 3.
Working Procedure
Two cutters, i.e., conical and radial, have been collected
from two different mines. Both the cutters were used for
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Fig. 6 Cracks on large surface of CC of the radial pick were
observed at lower magnification value of 989 [scale of image =
100lm]
Fig. 7 Cracking of individual WC grains (white arrow) and WC
grain fragmentation (black rounded rectangles) [scale of image = 1
lm]
coal cutting operation by using two different mining
machineries. The conical cutter was used in continuous
miner machine and the radial cutter was used in road-
header. The working hours of conical cutter was 15 h and
that of radial cutter was 10 h. Conical cutter was used to cut
G4 grade of coal (non-coking coal), whereas radial cutter
was used to cut W-II grade of coal (coking coal). G4 grade
is harder than W-II grade. The tools have been properly
cleaned after collecting from mines. For sample prepara-
tion, the CC parts are cut from the tool body using
electrical discharge machining (EDM) so that the cut sur-
face can be smooth. It is useful for proper arrangement of
the samples on the workpiece stand of the field emission
scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) machine. Some
adjustments, such as magnification, electron high tension
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J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
Fig. 8 Another image of crushed and fragmented WC grains [scale
of image = 1lm] (Radial pick)
Fig. 9 Abrasion on WC grains along with cracking and crushing
(EHT), and working distance (WD) between the lower
surface of the lens and sample, were done for getting good
images in FESEM machine. Both the picks are shown in
Fig. 4. Also, a more magnified picture of the CC tip of both
the picks is shown in Fig. 5.
Characterization of Failure Behavior
On the basis of observation through FESEM images, the
failure behavior in cemented carbide has been mainly
divided into four categories. They are as follows: (1)
Cracks, (2) Abrasion, (3) Roughness of WC grains, and (4)
Intermixing of external elements.
Cracks are the common wear mechanisms and can be
usually found in any cutting tools [14, 16, 20, 24, 26].
Generation of cracks on the tool surface is mainly caused
J Fail. Anal. and Preven.
Fig. 10 Enlarge view of rectangular area selected in Fig. 9; sign of
abrasion is shown by black arrow
Fig. 11 Roughness of WC surface (due to corrosion) observed in the
CC tip of the conical pick; black arrow shows the series of pores
[Magnification = 14.06 KX] [Scale of image = 300 nm]
by sudden impacts due to hard and brittle work (coal and
rock) material. In case of coal cutting, the excessive load
on the CC part of the tools is imposed by highly brittle and
heterogeneous coal. It is common to observe hard rock
materials in between the coal mass in any mine. Sometimes
the rock particles may be very sharp and abrasive. When
the tool gets contacted with the hard rock materials, it
results in the formation of minor cracks on the CC surface.
Due to sudden impacts, body deformation occurred, which
was observed previously by Dewangan et al. (2015) [19].
Cracks may propagate from the outer surface of the CC
onto the individual WC grains. Cracks on a large surface of
CC and in individual WC grains of the radial pick are
shown in Figs. 6 and 7, respectively. WC grain fragmen-
tation can also be observed due to severe cracking
phenomenon (Figs. 7 and 8).
Fig. 12 Intermixing of coal and rock materials (figure of Radial
pick); white arrows indicate dark zones available inside the CC; light
parts are WC grains
A typical abrasion has been observed on the WC grains
along with severe crushing. The abrasion appears on indi-
vidual WC grains in a group of cracked and crushed
carbides. This effect is clearly reported in Figs. 9 and 10. If
we observe in high magnification, it can be concluded that
the crushed area of cemented carbide may have some WC
grains which could not properly come into contact with
high abrasive rock particles. As a result, the same carbide
grains have a sign of abrasion with less crushing effect
(Fig. 10).
Corrosion is another major wear mechanism in the
damaged CC. This phenomenon has been observed in
conical-shaped pick. It has been mainly observed in the
individual WC grains. The effect of corrosion has been
found as rough surface of the carbide grains. As the cutters
were used inside the mine, it would come into contact with
underground mine water. Singh (2006) investigated various
chemicals in the mine water [29]. Also, due to continuous
hitting of the tool on coal mass, the CC tip is highly heated
during excavation. The reaction of WC grains with
chemically activated mine water in the presence of heat
resulted in the rough surface of WC grains due to corro-
sion. However, no noticeable effect was found on the entire
CC surface. An experiment was conducted by Echtenkamp
(1978) to check the corrosivity of WC-12% Co alloy. It
was observed that the transverse rupture strength of the
alloy reduced by 40% after immersing it in ferric chloride
solution for 2 h. The binder part was observed to be
removed to a depth of 80 lm, and surface of carbide grains
had a series of pores and notches [30]. In addition, Human
and Exner (1996) reported that binder part corroded at a
faster rate than WC grains. Also, binder part leaches out in
spite of having porous layers [31]. Dewangan and Chat-
topadhyaya (2015) have found the empty places in the
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Fig. 13 EDS of rock/coal

intermixed part of the CC; (a)
EDS of Spectrum 1 selected on
a dark intermixed zone; (b) EDS
of Spectrum 2 selected on
another point of a dark
intermixed zone; (c) EDS of
Spectrum 3 selected on a bright
WC grain

Element Weight % Atomic %

CK 15.20 26.88
OK 40.26 53.46
Na K 0.78 0.72
Mg K 0.76 0.67
Al K 1.47 1.16
Si K 3.00 2.27
KK 0.68 0.37
Ca K 0.59 0.31
(a) Fe L 37.25 14.17
Total 100.00

Element Weight % Atomic %

CK 16.56 35.04
OK 26.86 42.67
Na K 0.60 0.66
Mg K 0.59 0.61
Al K 2.04 1.92
Si K 2.60 2.35
SK 0.37 0.29
Fe K 11.25 5.12
Co L 20.22 8.72
WM 18.91 2.61
(b) Total 100.00

Element Weight % Atomic %

CK 15.35 71.57
OK 0.83 2.89
WM 83.83 25.54
(c) Total 100.00

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corroded part of the CC due to loss of cobalt [20]. The
formation of porous surface has been observed in the
present study (Fig. 11). According to Voorhies (1972),
corrosive degradation of tungsten carbide in a 2N H2SO4
solution can be manifested by the formation of tungsten
oxide (WO3). Equation 6 shows the formation of tungsten
oxide [32].
WC þ 5H2 O ! WO3 þ CO2 þ 10Hþ þ 10e : ðEq 6Þ
The intermixing of external elements in the microstructure of
cemented carbide has been observed in radial pick. As the
CC was used to cut coal and rock, mainly carbon and the
elements of earth rocks were reported as the external agents.
Highly magnified images showed that coal and rock particles
have entered into the microstructure of the CC which can be
easily identified by their dark color. The phenomenon of coal
and rock intermixing is shown in Fig. 12. Minor cracks
generated due to the sudden shocks provide space to the
external elements to enter inside the microstructure of the
CC. The binder content, being ductile in nature, could not
resist the entrenchment of rock particles. The degraded
binder content, intermixed with coal and rock particles,
could not perform the role of binding WC grains properly.
This process further results in removal of hard WC grain
particles from the CC.fshows the formation
Intermixing of external coal and rock particles have
been established by EDS images (Fig. 13). For the purpose,
FESEM image has been analyzed in three points, i.e.,
spectrum 1, spectrum 2, and spectrum 3. First two points (1
and 2) have been selected in two different dark parts of the
image, and third point (spectrum 3) has been selected in
WC grain. With regard to spectrum 1 (Fig. 13a), EDS
shows different external elements, such as C, O, Ca, Na,
Mg, Al, Si, K, and Fe, at different concentrations. Mainly
C, O, Fe, and Si are present in the intermixed zone with
weight percentage of 15.20, 40.26, 37.25 and 3.00%,
respectively. The presence of C shows the intermixing of
coal materials. Si and Fe, which are the basic constituents
of earth rock, are also present with coal particles.
Under spectrum 2 (Fig. 13b), almost all the external
elements are same as those found in spectrum 1. Here, C
(16.56%), O (26.86%), Na (0.60%), Mg (0.59%), Al
(2.04%), Si (2.60%), S (0.37%), and Fe (11.25%) are the
external elements which are present with the given amount
of weight percentage. In this case, C, O, and Fe are pre-
dominantly present in the microstructure. In addition, Co is
also present with a weight % of 20.22. External materials
are mixed with the cobalt binder.
It should be noted that W is also present in spectrum 2
with a weight percentage of 18.91. This amount is slightly
more than that of C, although the point is in the dark zone.
In fact, the X-ray beam at spectrum 2 has interacted with a
large area of the degraded zone in which both the parts, i.e.,
dark intermixed and WC grain, are covered. The avail-
ability of high amount of W along with C signifies the basic
constituents of tungsten carbide (WC).
Third point, spectrum 3, is selected on a bright indi-
vidual WC grain (Fig. 13c). It can be observed that mainly
three elements, such as C (15.35 %), O (0.83 %), and W
(83.83 %), are present in this part. W and C are the com-
mon constituents of tungsten carbide (WC). Another reason
for availability of C may be degradation of the CC. O is
present in a very small amount which shows that rock
particle entrenchment is not dominant in this point.
Conclusion
Cemented carbide is found to be an ideal hard metal alloy
which is widely used in various grades for different
working environments (coal mining, metal mining, oil
drilling, etc.). In the present study, an attempt has been
made to characterize the tribological behavior of the CC tip
of two different coal cutters, namely conical pick and radial
pick, which go damaged after coal mining. FESEM and
EDS have been used for observing critical wear mecha-
nisms. Mainly four types of wear mechanisms, namely
Cracks, abrasion, Corrosion, and Intermixing of external
elements, have been reported. The high heterogeneous
nature of coal (which includes rock particles) is the main
cause of tool damage. Sudden impacts with abrasion,
generation of minor cracks, and rock/coal particle
entrenchment are the three main steps behind damaging of
the CC. With the help of EDS images, intermixing of coal
and rock particles into the microstructure of CC was
established. Mainly, C, O, Ca, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, and Fe
were found to be the external elements. It is obvious that
degraded cobalt content (intermixed with various external
elements) loses its basic characteristics, and further unable
to bind the WC grains properly. It is the main cause of
disintegration of overall hard metal alloy.
It is also concluded that identification of failure behavior
is the fundamental way to find the material deficiencies for
a particular working environment. A further research can
be done to modify the constituent materials of the tools to
avoid such tribological phenomena.
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