Influence of electrical discharge machining on the tribological characteristics of WC-Co alloys

The influence of electrical discharge machining (EDM) on the abrasive wear resistance of two WC-10 %(wt) Co cemented carbides with different carbide grain size has been studied, Different surface finish conditions were evaluated corresponding to sequential EDM as well as grinding and polishing with diamond. The abrasive wear resistance was determined through microscratch measurements using a nanoindentation system. Contrary to the results obtained from hardness measurement, this technique allows to discern tribological differences among the distinct surface finish conditions studied. Finally, the abrasive wear resistance degradation associated with sequential EDN4 is discussed as it function of microstructure in terms of a damage parameter.