Tungsten Carbide Balls with Cobalt Binder for Wear Resistance
REDHILL supplies tungsten carbide balls with a cobalt binder for valves, bearings, gauges and grinding. WC-Co combines hard tungsten carbide grains with a metal binder. As a result, it offers high hardness, stiffness and resistance to abrasive wear.
Reference Material Data for 6% Cobalt Grades
- Nominal composition by weight: 94% WC / 6% Co
- Reference hardness: About 90–92 HRA
- Typical density: About 14.9–15.0 g/cm³
- Reference tensile strength: About 1,500 MPa
- Elastic modulus: About 640 GPa
- Electrical resistivity: About 20 µΩ·cm
These figures provide a guide for conventional 6% cobalt grades. However, grain size and processing affect the final properties. Therefore, confirm the exact carbide grade and required values with your inquiry.
Wear Resistance and Stiffness
The cobalt binder holds the hard WC grains together and adds toughness. In addition, the carbide grains resist wear from repeated contact and abrasive particles. As a result, WC-Co suits parts where surface wear limits service life.
WC-Co also has much higher stiffness than steel. Therefore, it helps limit deformation under the contact load. However, impact resistance still depends on the grade, grain size and part design.
Applications of WC-Co Balls
For example, common uses include:
- Check valves and pump assemblies
- Specialty bearings and ball screws
- Gauge contacts and measuring tools
- Ball sizing and hole finishing
- Grinding media in suitable milling systems
In addition, match the ball size, surface finish and mating parts to the task.
Grade Selection for Heat and Corrosion
However, some fluids can attack the cobalt binder and weaken the surface. Therefore, assess corrosion resistance against the full fluid mix. For example, selected nickel-binder carbide grades can offer better resistance in corrosive service.
In addition, use the specified grade data and assembly limits when choosing a working temperature.
Ball Grades and Sizes
- Ball grades: G5–G100
- Diameter range: 0.2 mm–100 mm
Confirm the available combination of size, grade and material before ordering. Finally, send us the diameter, tolerance, quantity and working conditions so we can review your requirements.