In the Ti(CN)-Co/Ni cermet, WC is an effective additive for increasing sinterability and mechanical properties such as toughness and hardness. In this work, WC, (WTi)C and (WTi)(CN) were used as the source of WC and their effects were investigated in the respect of microstructural evolution and mechanical properties. Regardless of the kinds of WC sources, the hard phase with dark core and bright rim structure was observed in the Ti(CN)-Co/Ni cermet under the incorporation of relatively small amount of WC. However, hard phases with bright core began to appear and their frequency increased with the increase of all kinds of WC source addition. The ratio of bright core to dark one in the (TiW)(CN)-Co/Ni cermet was greatest under the incorporation of (WTi)C compared at the same equivalent amount of WC. The mechanical properties were improved with the addition of WC irrespective of the kinds of sources, but the addition of (WTi)(CN) was less effective for the increase of fracture toughness.

TiC-and Ti(C,N)-based cermets are excellent in semi-and final finishing of work piece during cutting operations. Typical microstructure of the cermets is a core/rim structure. The undissolved Ti(C,N) cores contribute to their high hardness while the rim phases, (Ti,M1,M2)(C,N)-type solid solutions, play great roles in enhancing the toughness. In this paper, various ultrafine pre-mixed MeC-Ni powders were synthesized and the powders were sintered or hot pressed after mixing in order to control the size and volume fractions of core and rim phases in the system. This paper will present the factors determining the microstructure along with mechanical properties.

The effect of WC or NbC addition on various properties of Ti(C0.7N0.3)-Ni cermets was investigated. The microstructure oj Ti(C0.7N0.3)-xWC-20Ni showed a typical core/rim structure, irrespective of the WC content, whereas the structure oj Ti(C0.7N0.3)-xNbC-20Ni was different and was dependent on the NbC content. The hardness (HV) and the fracture toughness (KIC) had a tendency to increase marginally, while the coercive force (HC) and the magnetic saturation decreased gradually with an increase in WC or NbC content in the systems studied. In addition, increasing WC content in Ti(C0.7N0.3)-xWC-20Ni system, decarburization was retarded, while denitrification was accelerated