Research on the Wear Behaviors of WC-8Co and Al_2O_3-TiC Conical Dies

Two types of conical dies,WC-8Co and Al2O3-TiC,were fabricated by way of cold and hot press sintering method,respectively.The wear and tear behaviors were investigated when the die samples were applied on the real 45 steel wire drawing process.After that,the friction mechanisms under the experimental phenomena were carefully studied.It is found that both of there two types of conical dies showed reasonable hardness and strength,indicating acceptable drawing ability.Further study reveals that the deformation zone and the invariable zone are the most worn area of the inner bore surface.Metal shedding,fallen-off granules from dies and leftover of lubrication grease are observed on the surface.Two different wear mechanisms for WC-8Co(adhesive and abrasive wear) and Al2O3-TiC(adhesive and abrasive wear) are then concluded.By comparison,conical die made from Al2O3-TiC is more suitable for 45 steel wire drawing process.