No cobolt in hard metals a materials genome approach

Important results from the project

The aim has been to substitute cobalt in cemented carbides with an alternative binder, focusing on lower impact on environment and health from manufacturing and usage, since cobalt was recently found to be carcinogenic on inhalation. It has been possible to see the basic mechanisms behind the properties and performance of alternative binder cemented carbides and compare these to Co-reference materials. Further work is needed before alternative binders can be seen as competitors to Co-based binders but the progress made is motivating and the project must be considered successful.

Expected long term effects

The results show a very positive development of cemented carbide with alternative binder phases. We have shown that it is possible to manufacture cemented carbides with Ni and Fe instead of Co even though the performance has not yet reached todays products we have achieved significant understanding of these materials, enabling future improvement. The first steps towards more sustainable cemented carbides have been taken and the models and methods developed will be essential in the future design.

Approach and implementation

The ICME (Integrated Computational Materials Engineering) methodology used has facilitated both design of new materials and also given insight into which properties to focus on for continued development and design of cemented carbide with alternative binder phases. For industrial applications it is critical to relate mechanical properties at room temperature to actual performance in various applications. To investigate this, a number of test methods for metal machining and rock drilling have been used.