Table 6.

Hardness and fracture toughness of some reported BTCs

Material	Relative density (%)	Sintered grain size (nm)	Hardnessa (Hv)	Fracture toughnessb (MPa m1/2)
WC [18]	99.2	200	2925	8.9
WC [181]	100	130	3061	7.3
WC [182]	98.5	380	2854	7.1
WC [130]	99	87	3020	7.1
WC [125]	99.8	220	2959	7.2
WC [58]	97.6	360	2480	6.6
WC–20 at.% TiC [81]	98.5	200	2032	6.3
WC–20 at.% TiC [183]	99	200	2240	7.5
WC–3 wt% TiC–2 wt% TaC–0.2 wt% Cr3C2–0.2 wt% VC [184]		600	2300	7.9
WC–6 wt% Mo2C [184]		250	2400	8.4
WC [84]	99.9	280	2795	4.38
WC–1 wt% VC [84]	96.5	280	2795	4.2
WC–1 wt% VC [185]	99.8	272	2585	6.9
WC–1 wt% Cr3C2 [185]	100	277	2605	7.2
WC–0.3 wt% VC–0.5 wt% Cr3C2 [119]	97.5	240	2875d	6.05
WC–0.33 wt% VC–0.54 wt% Cr3C2 [121]	97.9	730	2464	4.4
WC [180]	100.6	171	2720	7.0
WC–1 wt% Mo2C [180]	100.8	183	2630	6.6
WC–1 wt% Mo2C [85]	99	450	2461	4.8
WC–1 wt% TaC [180]	99.7	202	2570	6.9
WC–1 wt% ZrC [180]	98.8	236	2420	6.5
WC–1 wt% NbC [180]	99.6	214	2540	6.6
WC–6 mol% SiC–2 mol% ZrC [71]	99	720	2193e	6.7
WC–20 mol% SiC–0.3 mol% Cr3C2 [90]	99	420	2193	6.4
(WC–0.8 mol%Cr3C2)–5 vol% SiCw [152]	100.4	1500	2041	7
WC–14.3 wt% Al2O3–0.5 wt% VC [93]	98	2000	2103	11.54
WC–10 wt% Al2O3w–0.5 wt% VC [94]	98	2000	2103	13.8
WC–10 vol% Al2O3 [102]	99.8	101	2540	9.4
WC–4.3 wt% MgO [135]	99	2590	1878f	12.95
WC–6 wt% ZrO2 [104]	100	660	1876	10.8
WC–3 wt% AlN [186]	99.6	700	2400	7.5
WC–10 wt% Si3N4w [153]	100	1260	1801	10.94
WC–1.0 wt% CNT [166]	101	200	2328	8.95
WC–3 wt% Al2O3–2 wt% TiC–0.15 wt% MLGc [178]	98.9	400	2255	14.5

^aFor convenience of comparison, the original hardness values from papers were converted to Vickers hardness values

^bFracture toughness value was calculated from indentation method

^cThis is the surface layer of a functionally graded WC–AL₂O₃–TiC–MLG composites

^dThis is a value of HV0.5

^eThis is a value of HV1.0

^fThis is a value of HV30