Corrosion and tribological characterizations of a recycled tungsten carbide powder

Recycling end-of-life tungsten carbide tools is important to encounter the issues linked to critical raw materials (CRM). Indeed, cobalt and tungsten have been listed as critical by the European Commission since 2011. Previous studies have characterized a recycled powder in terms of densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties, leading to interesting properties compared to conventional powders.

The study of corrosion and tribological properties was not characterized although they are essential to understand the interactions between the cemented carbide tool and other materials. In this study, parts made from recycled tungsten carbide powder containing 7.5 wt.% cobalt have been sintered to evaluate their corrosion properties (open-circuit potential, polarizations…) and their tribological properties (friction coefficient, wear mechanisms…).