Observations on the Brittle Fracture Of Cemented Titanium Carbide

Abstract

The brittle fracture of a TiC-Inconel cermet at room temperature is shown to occur primarily as a result of the cracking of the larger carbide particles (at a tensile strain of approximately 0.3 pct), followed by cracking of adjacent, smaller carbides and, finally, by the rupture of the Inconel matrix between cracked carbides (at a strain of ~ 1.2 pct). No evidence was found for separation at the interface between carbide and matrix at any point in the fracture process.